Latest news with #facemasks
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Honduras mandates face masks again as respiratory illnesses spike
Honduras mandates face masks again as respiratory illnesses spike TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) -Over five years after the COVID-19 outbreak, Honduras has reinstated mandatory mask wearing in public spaces amid a spike in respiratory illnesses and as a variant of the virus spreads through the Central American country. Honduras' health ministry confirmed two deaths from the virus this week, among patients with underlying health conditions, bringing the country's total in 2025 to six. "We have already surpassed last year's infection limit; there are currently five people admitted to Hospital Escuela with suspected COVID-19," said the head of Health Surveillance, Lorenzo Pavon. Official data showed that from January to July last year, 596 COVID-19 cases were reported, while this year 654 cases have been recorded in the same period. The temporary measures, which took effect on Thursday, make masks obligatory in hospitals, airports, shopping centers, banks, schools, public transport, and other enclosed or crowded spaces. The government also ordered temporary work-from-home for state institutions. Authorities are urging the public to complete their COVID-19 and influenza vaccination schedules and to seek medical advice for respiratory symptoms. Frequent hand washing and the use of antibacterial gel continue to be recommended measures. Officials also warned that they will maintain monitoring of variants and will reinforce public information campaigns. The Ministry of Health reiterated that it will continuously evaluate the epidemiological situation and warned that the measures could be expanded if the number of infections continues to rise. Solve the daily Crossword


The Sun
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Maya Jama in fresh career boost after her seven-figure net worth surges thanks to booming beauty mask firm
LOVE Island host Maya Jama will be made up as her beauty brand has helped her rake in a fortune of £2million. Sales of her face masks and eye patches are booming, with profits up nearly 25 per cent last year. 3 3 Companies House documents show that MIJ Masks now has net assets of £313,381, up by £75,000 from 2023. Added to assets of £1.83million from her telly and advertising work through MIJ & Co Entertainment, it means Maya, 30, is worth more than £2million. Maya — who last night wore a black and white love heart mini dress to present ITVX's Love Island AfterSun — launched the bio-cellulose face mask and eye patches brand in 2021. The anti-wrinkle masks are available online for £17.99 and patches for £7.99. Unveiling the range four years ago, Maya said: 'It took two years to get this right. "I wanted something with super high quality ingredients that wasn't as expensive as other masks. 'You shouldn't cut corners anywhere but especially in beauty.' Maya is reportedly paid £750,000 for each series of Love Island and earned upward of £50,000 for co-hosting this year's Brit Awards. She was also part of the presenting line-up for this year's Comic Relief. In the past few weeks we revealed she had landed an acting role in Netflix's The Gentlemen and is in talks with streaming giant Prime Video to host a new entertainment show. Maya works with brands including Rimmel London cosmetics and Beauty Works hair extensions and has also put her name to ad campaigns for Adidas and Gordon's Gin. Some 2.5million tune into each episode of Love Island and more than 100million have streamed the latest series online.


Fox News
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
NYC Mayor Eric Adams isn't gagging speech – his mask ban protects New Yorkers
In a bold, but constitutionally sound move, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced a new policy banning the wearing of face masks in certain public spaces. Predictably, the usual critics have begun to hyperventilate—equating this common-sense public safety measure with an assault on civil liberties. But reports that some Jewish groups are not on board have been greatly exaggerated. Many, if not most, mainstream groups do support the bill, and in fact, the very groups named by anonymous sources have actually come out publicly in support of mask bans generally, and in one case this mask ban in particular. A sober review of the facts and the law reveals an initiative far less scandalous and far more important than the haters would have you believe: a responsible effort to protect not just Jewish citizens but all New Yorkers while staying well within the bounds of constitutional jurisprudence. The Constitution does not guarantee a right to anonymous public demonstrations via concealed identity. As the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit explained in Church of the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan v. Kerik, 356 F.3d 197 (2d Cir. 2004), "The Supreme Court has never held that freedom of association or the right to engage in anonymous speech entails a right to conceal one's appearance in a public demonstration. Nor has any Circuit found such a right." That case involved the KKK—an organization notorious for exploiting anonymity to intimidate and terrorize. And yet the principle applies universally: in a civil society, especially one dealing with rising crime, antisemitic threats, and politically charged tensions spilling into our streets, the state has a compelling interest in being able to identify individuals in public spaces. New York, like many major cities, is facing a crisis of rising masked violence. From antisemitic mobs vandalizing Jewish businesses to coordinated flash mob robberies, bad actors are abusing face coverings—not for public health, but to evade accountability. Mayor Adams' policy isn't about targeting peaceful protestors. It's about stopping those who hide behind the veil of anonymity to harm others or break the law. That's not just smart policy — it's basic governance. And the law is squarely on his side. Mayor Adams is not banning speech. He is not targeting any viewpoint. He is simply saying that in a free society, public protest must be public. That's a narrow, content-neutral regulation of conduct, not a restriction on expression—and well within the constitutional framework laid out by the Supreme Court. It is well established that the government can impose reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on speech and association—especially when public safety is at stake. In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, courts made clear that even mandatory mask laws could be constitutionally enforced. Surely the inverse—a prohibition on masks in contexts where they pose a public safety threat—is just as lawful. When demonstrators march with masks, they hinder law enforcement's ability to maintain order and investigate crimes. And that's not just theoretical- both NYPD and DA officials have cited multiple instances where masked agitators used anonymity to provoke violence, destroy property, or evade arrest. Even the ACLU, when it's being honest, will admit that the First Amendment is not a suicide pact. Rights exist in balance with responsibilities. And the right to speak does not automatically translate to a right to conceal one's identity in a public square during a moment of high tension. To those worried about a possible chilling effect: there are better ways to protect speech than encouraging lawlessness. People have every right to voice dissent. They do not have a constitutional right to do so while dressed for anonymity in a way that frustrates law enforcement and endangers the public. The best remedy for offensive speech is more speech, not more masks. Civil disobedience has always required courage—and that includes the willingness to stand behind your convictions, quite literally, with your face uncovered. From Martin Luther King Jr. to Soviet refuseniks, the history of protest is a history of public witness, not masked mobs. Mayor Adams has done what responsible leaders must: balance liberty with security, transparency with protection. He has not banned protests. He has not censored speech. He has merely said that if you want to speak in public, you must do so with your face uncovered—just like millions of brave Americans have done throughout our history, marching for justice without hiding who they are. The reality is this: When people feel unsafe walking the streets or riding the subway, the whole idea of an open society begins to crumble. Order is not the enemy of liberty. It is its precondition. We live in a democracy, not a masquerade. And it's time we start acting like it.