face masks

The news that Texas and Mississippi are lifting their mask mandates has alarmed medical experts, who are still worried about yet another surge of COVID-19 cases as new variants spread across the country. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Dena Grayson shared her frank reaction to this news, as well as her thoughts on the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Remember Lenin Gutierrez, that San Diego-based Starbucks barista who refused service to a maskless woman last year? Here’s what he’s up to today — and how he hopes the people of the world keep lifting each other up in tough times.

A mix-up at the California Department of Motor Vehicles left a California woman with a driver’s license photo that’s a sign of the times.

A mistake from the DMV left a California woman with a unique license picture. NBC4 News reports at 7 a.m. on Feb. 21, 2021.

As more people get fully vaccinated against COVID-19, what’s safe for them to do? Don’t expect to shed your mask right away. At least for now, U.S. health authorities say people should follow the same rules as everybody else about wearing a mask, keeping a 6-foot distance and avoiding crowds even after they’ve gotten their second vaccine dose....

Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that the Department of Homeland Security has seized over 11 million counterfeit N95 masks in its ongoing fight to protect frontline health care workers

With new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus circulating, health experts are adjusting their recommendations for face masks. NBC News medical correspondent Dr. John Torres joined LX News to explain why you should make sure your face mask is well-fitted and double up.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, called out Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for not wearing a mask on the Senate floor Thursday. Paul is the only senator who does not wear a mask in the Senate chamber. The Kentucky senator complied with Brown’s request without objection.

Face masks are now required in all National Park Service buildings, and on land maintained by the Park Service when physical distancing is not possible, federal officials announced Tuesday.  Visitors and employees must wear masks indoors, plus outdoors on Park Service land when social distancing cannot be maintained, “including [on] narrow or busy trails, overlooks and historic homes,” a...

Earlier in the coronavirus pandemic, PPE shortages meant that many people were making cloth face coverings out of available fabrics, like T-shirts and bedsheets, or wearing bandanas. Not only are there now plenty of mask options out there, we have data on what materials and designs are most effective at blocking droplets and aerosolized particles.

Concerns about COVID-19 variants has people taking a closer look at the quality of their masks. Should you double or even triple up? Kathy Vara reports for NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Jan. 22, 2021.

A fight broke out during a Czech parliament debate over coronavirus restrictions. One lawmaker who refused to wear a mandatory face mask became aggravated after another lawmaker turned off his microphone.

Implementation of a nationwide mask mandate, combined with complementary public health measures, could reduce the coronavirus’ spread to essentially zero and have a potential $1 trillion impact on the U.S. GDP, according to UCLA Fielding School of Public Health researchers.

After four members of Congress tested positive for the coronavirus after lawmakers sheltered from the rioters at the U.S. Capitol, President-elect Joe Biden blasted Congress members who refuse to wear masks. The president-elect also called the politicization of mask-wearing “stupid.”

While masks and other protective gear are crucial in the fight against COVID-19, they can have an incredibly damaging impact on the planet. The director of research at the conservation group Oceans Asia, Teale Phelps Bondaroff, joined LX News to discuss how massive numbers of face masks have been entering our oceans since the start of the pandemic.

A 95-year-old woman who became a prolific mask maker during the pandemic took a short break this fall while she recovered from COVID-19 herself

A look back at seven San Diego stories that really got people talking in 2020.

A nurse practitioner in Colorado has built a state-approved contraption that allows people to hug their loved ones safely.

The mayor of Dodge City, Kansas, said she resigned and moved after she started receiving threats over the city’s face mask mandate.

2020 was a hard year for most, but a few things had their time in the spotlight. Here are the 12 things that had an unexpected cultural moment in 2020.