“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its coronavirus travel guidance on Monday to include a recommendation that passengers and employees on mass transit wear masks to help prevent the spread of the virus. Travel operators are asked to help ensure that passengers wear masks when boarding, throughout travel, and while disembarking. If a passenger refuses, the CDC asks that they be refused service and/or be removed at the earliest opportunity. “Traveling on public conveyances increases a person’s risk of getting and spreading COVID-19 by bringing persons in close contact with others, often for prolonged periods, and exposing them to frequently touched surfaces,” the CDC said. “Broad and routine utilization of masks on our transportation systems will protect Americans and provide confidence that we can once again travel more safely even during this pandemic.” Lucas Jackson / Reuters A traveler wears a mask while reading in John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The CDC has advised that people on public conveyances — including trains, planes and buses — wear masks for the entire duration of their trip. The updated guidance follows a recent New York Times report that found the White House blocked the CDC’s earlier attempt to issue a far stronger, nationwide mask mandate for public transportation. That mandate would have required passengers and employees to wear face masks on planes, trains, buses and subways, as well as at transit networks such as airports, train stations and bus depots. The mandate had the support of the secretary of health and human services, Alex Azar. However, the White House’s coronavirus task force reportedly declined to discuss it, with a task force official stating the decision to require masks should be left up to states and localities. Airlines already require that passengers and their employees wear masks, and recent studies on air travel show that face coverings can reduce virus transmission. One such study by the U.S. Department of Defense concluded that the risk of COVID-19 exposure on aircraft is “virtually non-existent” when masks are worn. Another study by the University of Edinburgh found that face coverings can reduce the forward spread of potential COVID-19 droplets from the mouth by 90% when properly worn. The International Air Transport Association, a trade association that represents 82% of the world’s air traffic, states on its website that passengers who refuse to comply with the airline industry’s mask mandate can face removal, penalties under national laws, and restrictions on future travel.
Trump Administration Lowballs Unemployment Benefits In New COVID-19 Offer
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["The latest stimulus offer from the White House comes with one-time $600 payments for most Americans and a lump of coal for the unemployed. The new proposal offered by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin swapped the $3...
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["New results on a possible COVID-19 vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca suggest it is safe and about 70% effective, but questions remain about how well it may help protect those over 55 — a key concern for...
COVID-19 Deaths, Georgia Elections And Trump Pardons: Views From HuffPost Readers
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["HuffPost Illustration In a recent poll, one of HuffPost members’ top-requested features was a roundup of reader comments. Every week, HuffPost editors read your comments on our top stories and highlight those that c...
Singer Jeremih Leaves Hospital After COVID-19 Battle, Says He’s ‘Forever Grateful’
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["Singer Jeremih has been released from the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after battling COVID-19 during his stay, his family said. The 33-year-old R&B artist, whose real name is Jeremy Felton, thanked th...
Tuesday Is ‘V-Day’ In Britain; First Citizens Will Get COVID-19 Vaccine
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["LONDON (AP) — It’s been dubbed “V-Day” in Britain ― recalling the D-Day landings in France that marked the start of the final push in World War II to defeat Nazi Germany. A week after the U.K. became the first Weste...
Selma Blair And Sarah Michelle Gellar Redo ‘Cruel Intentions’ Kiss For COVID-19 Era
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["More than 20 years after they co-starred in “Cruel Intentions,” Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar continue to find ways to reference their legendary screen kiss. The actors made a virtual appearance at Sunday’s...
FBI Urges COVID-19 Retests For Those Tested At New Jersey Lab
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["ASSOCIATED PRESS A nurse uses a swab to perform a coronavirus test in Salt Lake City. The FBI in New Jersey is asking anyone who received a COVID-19 test at a lab along the Jersey Shore to get retested as soon as po...
States Scramble To Curb COVID-19 Without National Leadership
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["NEW YORK (Reuters) - Individual U.S. states scrambled on Sunday to impose lockdowns to stem coronavirus spikes amid a lack of national leadership on how to curb infections until vaccines are widely available in the ...