HHS-Released Report Recommends Government ‘Encourage or Mandate’ Masking to Fight Coronavirus

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a study that recommends government officials “encourage or mandate” masking to fight against “long COVID,” conveniently after the completion of the midterm elections.

Editor’s Note: A spokesperson from President Joe Biden’s Health and Human Services Department contacted Breitbart News after publication to clarify that the “mask mandate” included in the report was the recommendation of study participants (people with Long COVID, their caregivers, health care providers, advocates, and other subject-matter experts) and is not a recommendation HHS made. The story and headline have been updated accordingly. The story continues below:

The report details policies to combat the Chinese coronavirus, which has now been around for almost three years. One of the recommendations includes the reintroduction of masking, contending that it will assist those suffering from lingering effects from their infection.

“The lifting of mask mandates and indifferent attitude toward masking and social distancing typical in many public and private places further isolates people with Long COVID,” the report stated, recommending those in government “encourage or mandate policies and protocols regarding masking and social distancing in public spaces.”

This recommendation follows the conclusion of the midterm elections and comes months after President Biden declared the pandemic “over.”

“The pandemic is over. We still have a problem with Covid. We’re still doing a lot of work on it. It’s — but the pandemic is over. If you notice, no one’s wearing masks. Everybody seems to be in pretty good shape. And so I think it’s changing. And I think this is a perfect example of it,” he stated in September.

The report’s recommendation also follows the caution offered by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who warned earlier this year that leftists would reimpose mandates “if they feel the need” after the conclusion of the midterm elections. 

“The minute those elections are over, they will impose mandates if they feel the need to do that. They will impose restrictions,” DeSantis said during a March roundtable discussion in Doral, Florida.

“And so that will happen. If those types of people are allowed to be put in power — my view on that is, they’ve put Fauci in the witness protection program because he will say, you know, no, you should still wear a mask, and he’s never going to say be normal, go back to normal. So they know that, and they know that that’s not what people want,” he added, emphasizing it is “wrong to mandate people and restrict people.”

“And that will happen. I guarantee you, winter of 2022, any of those folks that are there, you are going to see that happen,” he warned.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is also among those speaking out.

“Biden’s HHS is trying to implement mask mandates again. Retweet if you’re not putting up with this nonsense anymore!” she exclaimed:

Los Angeles County is among those “strongly recommending” individuals to mask up yet again.