Top Three
CDC to Revise Mask Guidance:
“The CDC is reviewing its mask guidance, shifting its focus to Covid hospitalizations as a key measure of the severity of the outbreak and future guide for determining whether health safety protocols need to be tightened,” CNBC reports.
"Nothing has been finalized yet, but the CDC is considering a new benchmark for whether masks are needed, basing it on the level of severe disease and hospitalizations in a given community, two people familiar with the situation said."
"Senior administration officials have asked Walensky to provide an update on masks before President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on March 1, one of the people said."
COVID Supplemental: More details from Politico and the AP.
"The request comes amid Biden officials’ warnings that the administration is running low on money for its domestic Covid-19 response, following three months spent battling the Omicron variant that drove cases and hospitalizations to record levels."
"While the administration anticipates it has enough vaccines and therapeutics to ride out the surge, three people with knowledge of the matter said the government doesn’t currently have enough money to respond if another dangerous variant emerges."
"The request sets up a clash between lawmakers concerned about pandemic preparedness and those who are reluctant to spend more money against a backdrop of inflation and record-high federal debt," Axios reports.
White House list (good catch from NAESP's Danny Carlson)
COVID-19 Rules Are Coming Off for the Adults - But Do Parents Want the Rules Rolled Back for Kids?: Via Kristen Soltis Anderson's Codebook.
"In many parts of America, the rules that apply to children in schools are very different from the rules that apply to adults going about their lives."
"Adults are allowed to go into restaurants and dine unmasked (though sometimes must engage in the absurd theatre of wearing a mask only as they walk to and from their table). They can go to go to the gym or the grocery store without covering their face. And even in places with tougher COVID-19 restrictions, rules for adults are rolling back much faster than rules for kids."
"On the one hand, the data have been clear and consistent that kids are simply not at nearly as much risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes as older people."
"Given this, you would think that getting kids back into classrooms consistently, maximizing their ability to be in-person without disruption, and allowing them to be unmasked would be high priorities."
"The polls in some ways tell a similar story about COVID rules facing kids as they do about adults. Namely: Most parents are pretty OK with specific requirements around masks or social distancing in schools, but... Many are also frustrated with how their schools are handling COVID-19 and are increasingly worried about learning loss and the mental health consequences of the pandemic on students."
"The reality is that parent anger is not just about one thing. For some parents, yes, it is about worries over what they view as a focus on social justice at the expense of things like gifted education or school re-opening. For some, yes, it is "critical race theory." For some, it is anger that their four year old must mask-up on the playground."
Federal
COVID-19 Research
States Craft Their COVID Exit Strategies: Via Stateline
Excess Deaths in U.S. During Pandemic Top 1 Million: Via Axios
When Is It Safe To Lift School Mask Mandates?: Via FiveThirtyEight
How to Save Science From Covid Politics: Vinay Prasad in Common Sense. "to avoid similar pitfalls when we are faced with the next public health emergency—and to rectify the mistakes that are still unfolding—here are ten crucial lessons:"
Identify the Most Vulnerable
Protect the Most Vulnerable
Liberate the Least Vulnerable
Fight for Normalcy
Learn from Other Countries
Run Randomized Trials
Don’t Promote Shoddy Studies
Don’t Ignore Inconvenient Facts
Don’t Stifle Debate
Don’t Destroy a Brilliant Legacy
The Seven Habits of COVID-Resilient Nations: Uri Friedman in The Atlantic.
Learn from past shocks to prepare for the next crisis.
Channel scientific and other expert advice into policy and strategy.
Follow the data in real time.
Communicate clearly and transparently with the public.
Cultivate public trust in government and fellow citizens.
Design centralized systems sensitive to local concerns.
Recognize that no country can cope with shock entirely on its own.
A Dilemma for Democrats: Politico/Morning Consult: “Democratic governors have been trying to get ahead of pandemic fatigue by lifting mask mandates around the country."
"The country is moving further and further in that direction. Forty-nine percent of voters want mask mandates removed, while 43% say it is too early for states to rescind their mask mandates.”
“The tricky part for Democrats is that their voters are divided on the issue. A majority of Democrats still want mandates in place.”
“In the teeth of the pandemic, anti-masking sentiment was a fringe obsession limited to the right. But with the Omicron surge subsiding, it’s now mainstream — and growing in popularity.”
State
California: "In landslide, San Francisco forces out 3 Board of Education members," the NYT reports.
"The recall was a victory for parents who were angered that the district spent time deciding whether to rename a third of its schools last year instead of focusing on reopening them."
"It also appeared to be a demonstration of Asian American electoral power, a galvanizing moment for Chinese voters in particular who turned out in unusually large numbers for the election."
Mark Barabak: “San Francisco is quite familiar with earthquakes, and what happened Tuesday — the ouster of three extreme lefties from the Board of Education — was not one of those. Earthquakes are sudden and unexpected. The result of Tuesday’s recall was neither.”
“It’s not about renaming, itself,” recall co-lead Autumn Looijen told Politico. “It’s about renaming while the house is on fire.”
Michigan: Detroit launches first school-based COVID-19 vaccination program in Michigan.
South Carolina: Parents 'disappointed' in Horry County Schools' decision to cut virtual learning program
Virginia:
Arlington Public Schools launched their Test to Stay program Monday.
Wisconsin: Gov. Evers announces “Get Kids Ahead” initiative, provides $20 million in mental health support for students
"Every public school district can opt in to receive these funds and will receive a minimum of $10,000 with the rest being allocated on a per-pupil basis."
"Schools will be able to use these funds to provide direct mental healthcare, hire and support mental health navigators, provide mental health first aid and trauma-based care training, or provide family assistance programs."
Economic Recovery
Retail Sales: "Retail sales, a measure of spending at stores, online and restaurants, rose by a seasonally adjusted 3.8% in January."
A Real-Time Look at The Great Resignation: New report from Gusto along with an Axios article.
"Nationally, 4.1% of women quit their jobs in January, compared with 3.4% of men — a 0.7 percentage point difference."
"But in Maine and Rhode Island — where around 45% of families reported COVID-related child care disruptions in the Census Household Pulse Survey — the gender gap swelled to 1.7 percentage points."
"At the same time, in Missouri and Arizona — where less than 25% of households said child care was disrupted — the gender gap was close to zero."
Resources
Catholic School Enrollment: Catholic schools experienced their first enrollment increase in 20 years after decades of declining enrollment and school closures prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Enrollment increased by 3.8% during the 2021-22 academic year – the first increase in two decades and the largest recorded increase by the National Catholic Educational Association."
iPhone Users Can Now Say Harry Potter Spells to Control Their Device: Has nothing to do with COVID, but still useful.
Work From Home: With a dog.