Three things for February 25
1. Biden administration and CDC to loosen mask-wearing rules
On Friday, Feb. 25, the Biden administration will loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines.
FILE - A sign requiring masks as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus is posted on a store front in Philadelphia, on Feb. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
According to AP News, who spoke with two officials familiar with the matter, most Americans will no longer be advised to wear masks in indoor public settings.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will announce a change to the metrics it uses to determine whether to recommend face coverings, shifting from looking at COVID-19 case counts to a more holistic view of risk from the coronavirus to a community,” reports AP News.
Under current guidelines, masks are recommended for people residing in communities of substantial or high transmission — roughly 95% of U.S. counties, according to AP News.
The new metrics will take into account hospitalizations and local hospital capacity, which have been markedly improved during the emergence of the omicron variant. Under the new guidelines, the vast majority of Americans will no longer live in areas where indoor masking in public is recommended, according to AP News.
For more information, read the full AP News article.
2. Three more officers found guilty in Floyd killing
On Thursday, Feb. 24, a federal jury found three more officers guilty in the killing of George Floyd.
FILE - This combination of photos provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office in Minnesota on June 3, 2020, shows, from left, former Minneapolis police officers J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao. (Hennepin County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)
After two days of deliberations which followed a month of testimony, the jury convicted Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane of violating Floyd’s civil rights.
“All three men were convicted of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care as the 46-year-old Black man was pinned under [Derek] Chauvin’s knee for 9 1/2 minutes while handcuffed, facedown on the street on May 25, 2020. Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back, Lane held his legs and Thao kept bystanders back,” reports AP News.
Thao and Kueng were also convicted of failing to intervene to stop Chauvin.
According to AP News, Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd called the verdicts “accountability,” but added, “there can never be justice because I can never get George back.”
For more information read the full AP News article.
3. Florida House passes bill on limiting discussion of sexual orientation in schools
On Thursday, Feb. 24, the Florida House of Representatives approved a bill to limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.
FILE - Members of the Florida House of Representatives convene during a legislative session April 30, 2021, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
The House passed the bill on a party-line vote, with most Republicans in support. It now moves to the GOP-controlled Senate, according to AP News.
The proposal has attracted scrutiny from President Joe Biden as well as other Democrats who argue it harms LGBTQ people.
“The debate comes amid a nationwide, often contentious reexamination of how schools should teach about race, gender and history,” reports AP News.
The bill states, “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standard.”
For more information read the full AP News article.
