Americans are raising their voices against mask mandates reintroduced by some institutions amid reports of rising COVID-19 cases—with some people calling recent infections an “election variant.”
On Aug. 20, Morris Brown College announced in an Instagram post that the institution has reinstated its COVID-19 mask mandate “effective immediately” due to reports of infections among students in the Atlanta University Center. All students and employees are mandated to wear face masks for 14 days, with students required to observe physical distancing.
Hollywood studio Lionsgate has sent a memo asking employees to wear masks after some of its workers were infected with COVID-19.
“Employees must wear a medical grade face covering (surgical mask, KN95 or N95) when indoors except when alone in an office with the door closed, actively eating, actively drinking at their desk or workstation, or if they are the only individual present in a large open workspace,” Sommer McElroy, of Lionsgate, wrote in the memo.
Primary care provider Kaiser Permanente is now requiring staff, patients, and visitors at its Santa Rosa facilities to wear face masks.
Last week, Upstate Medical’s two hospitals in New York reimposed mandatory masking following reports of an uptick in COVID-19 infections. Many people have begun pushing back against mandates and questioned the timing of the rise in COVID-19 infections—with the 2024 elections nearing.
“And just like that, the election variant emerges,” author George Papadopoulos said in an Aug. 23 post on X.
“I see the election time variant of COVID is about to drop. Mail in ballots to EVERYONE! Lol. America no longer has free and fair elections. We are no different than 3rd world countries in this regard,” conservative political commentator Candace Owens said in an Aug. 23 X post.
“I hear that the Covid-19 Election Variant may be coming back. I Will Not Comply,” Republican Kari Lake said in an Aug. 23 post on X.
The use of “election variant” comes in the context of the 2020 election—during the COVID pandemic—when many states expanded voting procedures, including mail-in ballots, to accommodate lockdown restrictions.
“In the 2020 election, 69 per cent of voters nationwide cast their ballot non-traditionally—by mail and/or before Election Day,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
A Pew Research survey from November 2020 showed that Democrats benefited greatly from mail-in ballots. While 32 per cent of Trump supporters voted through absentee or mail-in ballots, this was much higher in the case of Joe Biden, as 58 per cent of his supporters used mail-in ballots.
Meanwhile, some Hollywood celebs have started promoting mask-wearing.
“COVID is on the rise. SO MANY friends now are really sick. BE MINDFUL. WEAR A MASK if required or even if you feel unwell and are out in public spaces,” Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis said in an Aug. 22 Instagram post showing an image of the actress with a mask.
Clinical psychologist Dr. Jordan B. Peterson responded to Curtis’ mask promotion by stating, “Enough medical fascism.”
“Stay at home if you’re scared. But leave the rest of us the hell alone,” he said in an Aug. 23 post on X.
According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been an uptick in COVID-19 hospitalization in recent weeks. As of the week ending Aug. 12, there were 12,613 admissions, which is double the 6,313 admissions for the week ending June 24.
However, the current increase in hospitalizations is far lower compared to the previous two years, suggesting that COVID-19 infections popping out this time may not be as severe as in the past.
