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Are COVID Airline Mask Mandates Coming Back? What to Know
Despite COVID-19 hospitalizations steadily inching up in the U.S., mask mandates on planes are unlikely to make a comeback, experts told Newsweek. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order in January 2021 requiring people to wear masks on public transportation, including planes and in transportation hubs.
The mandate was struck down by a federal judge on April 18, 2022, freeing airlines, airports and other transportation hubs to make their own decisions about mask requirements. All the major airlines quickly switched to a mask-optional policy.
Some businesses, schools and hospitals have imposed mask mandates in response to an uptick in COVID cases, prompting some concern that masks may soon be required on planes.
The spokesperson said the CDC’s advice for individual and community actions around COVID-19 “are tied to hospital admission levels, which are currently low for more than 92% of the country.” A CDC spokesperson also recently said that “rumors we’ve seen about plans for mask mandates are not true.”
Researchers Used Wi-Fi Signals to See Through Walls. Game-Changing Breakthrough? Or Privacy Nightmare Waiting to Happen?
Scientists have engineered a technology that lets people read letters and see objects through walls using Wi-Fi signals.
The system, developed by researchers with UC Santa Barbara, traces the edges of objects on the other side of solid barriers, including English letters of the alphabet. In one experiment, for example, the team used the technology to decipher the word “BELIEVE” from the other side of a wall, with letters imaged one by one.
The system relies on Keller’s geometric theory of diffraction, also known as the Keller cone, to interpret what may be on the other side of the wall. If and when mature, the technology may be useful for several different applications, including crowd analytics, identifying individuals, and giving smart spaces a much-needed boost.
The success of this approach, however, may pose serious privacy and security questions. Cybercriminals could incorporate this technology into an existing attack vector, or authorities could abuse it in some contexts, such as law enforcement.
People Injured or Bereaved by COVID Vaccines ‘Speak in Code Online Over Censorship Fears’
People left injured or bereaved from vaccines are being forced to speak in code online about their symptoms for fear of censorship, the COVID Inquiry has heard.
Baroness Hallett, the inquiry’s chair, was told at a hearing on Wednesday that healthcare workers are afraid to speak out about side effects they have had from the jab, over fears they will be punished by their bosses.
It comes as campaign groups representing hundreds of people who suffered illness or lost loved ones after being vaccinated will be allowed to give evidence to the public inquiry.
Anne Morris KC, representing U.K. CV Family, Vaccine Injured Bereaved U.K. (VIBUK) and the Scottish Vaccine Injury Group, told the inquiry: “Censorship is a very real issue for the vaccine injured and bereaved. Their support groups have been shut down by social media platforms and their experiences censored by the mainstream media.
“They have to speak in code online for fear of having the only source of support taken away from them.”
Dutch Groups Launch Major Privacy Lawsuit Against Google
Two Dutch consumer groups have launched a wide-ranging lawsuit against Google, alleging the company has been committing ‘large-scale privacy violations.’
The Consumers’ Association and the Foundation for the Protection of Privacy Interests claim the company has been collecting users’ online behavior and location data, without providing enough information or having obtained their permission.
The company then shares that information with hundreds of parties via its online advertising platform, they say. The data includes, for example, highly sensitive personal data about health, ethnicity and political preference.
“Google is constantly monitoring everyone. Even when using third-party cookies — which are invisible — Google continues to collect data through other people’s websites and apps, even when someone is not using its products or services,” says Ada van der Veer, chair of the Foundation for the Protection of Privacy Interests.
City Council in Texas Votes to Ban All COVID Vaccine, Mask Requirements
A Texas city council voted on Tuesday to prohibit the enforcement of any COVID-19 mandate implemented at the federal or state level. The City of Odessa’s resolution was presented by City Council Member Chris Hanie, who said residents should decide for themselves whether to mask up, KOSA reported.
State Representative Brian Harrison, who served as chief of staff of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration partnered with the City of Odessa.
“Joe Biden and his administration are trying to bring back COVID tyranny for round two,” Harrison said. “It is incumbent on states, freedom-loving patriots, elected republicans,” he added. “I don’t care quite frankly what party you are. If you believe in freedom, it’s incumbent on you to stand up and push back against another round of COVID tyranny.”
Harrison said he believes Odessa is the first city in the state to ban coronavirus mandates.
