Don’t Bring Back Covid Authoritarianism

August 30, 2023

People should be free to choose how cautious to be. Mask mandates, lockdowns, and closing schools won’t stop the virus.

by John Stossel Reason.com

COVID-19 cases are up. Hospitalizations climbed 24 percent last week.

But the media make everything seem scarier than it is. The headline “Up 24 Percent!” comes after dramatic lows. Hospitalizations are still less than half what they were when President Joe Biden said, “The pandemic is over.”

Yet the shallow media keep pounding away: “It may be time to break out the masks,” headlined CNN.

Frightened people believe. The movie studio Lionsgate reinstated an office mask mandate. Atlanta’s Morris Brown College mandated masks and even banned parties.

This month, several school districts in Kentucky and Texas closed. “The safety and wellbeing of our students, staff, and community is a top priority,” said the school superintendent in Texas.