(Joshua Paladino, Headline USA) As support for COVID-19 restrictions fades, hypochondriac liberals in California have found a permanent justification to keep people wearing masks and receiving vaccines, the Daily Mail reported.
Students enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, will either have to receive a seasonal flu shot every year or wear a mask.
The university also “strongly recommends” indoor masking for vaccinated students. At least the university will let outdoor masking remain “optional”—though it should be prohibited, and breathing fresh air should be mandatory.
“Masks are required during flu season if not vaccinated for flu,” the school said on its website.
The seasonal flu shot has been shown to consistently have less than 50% efficacy, with that percentage falling to less than 30% in some years.
Students and politicians criticized the university for trying to normalize mask-wearing at all times.
“UC Berkeley is going to force unvaccinated students to mask during flu season, despite the CDC saying that unvaccinated should now be treated the same as vaccinated,” said California Senate candidate Mark Meuser, a Republican.
“Someone should tell UC Berkeley that they should follow the science,” he added.
Students noted that UC Berkeley has departed from longstanding practices regarding flu season.
“2019 norms gone forever at Berkeley, as university makes masking compulsory in flu seasons,” a student tweeted.
Some students believed the mask mandate to be a hoax.
“I saw some images of it and doubted it, oh no, it’s real … Never mind a 100-year old consensus masks don’t help for the flu,” a student tweeted.
One student said the new policy shows the belief that following COVID-19-style restrictions as a permanent precaution can keep people safe from illnesses in general.
“Worth asking how we got to this point, where two weeks to crush the curve have become a permanent crusade against seasonal respiratory infections in general,” the student said.
