{"id":3729,"date":"2026-06-04T23:03:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T23:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/owspakistan.com\/?p=3729"},"modified":"2026-06-04T23:03:05","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T23:03:05","slug":"public-health-mandates-limits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/owspakistan.com\/?p=3729","title":{"rendered":"Health departments have less power to protect Americans from disease outbreaks : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n \"A\n <\/picture>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n

\n Demonstrators at a rally with truckers protest against COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates in Adelanto, Calif., in February 2022.
\n <\/p>\n

PATRICK T. FALLON\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

<\/b>
\n hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

PATRICK T. FALLON\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

<\/span>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

For stories on healthy living, subscribe to NPR’s<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>Health newsletter<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

As Americans worry about the risks from hantavirus and Ebola, many state and local health officials now have less power to protect the public from all kinds of disease outbreaks than during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That’s because some jurisdictions weakened their public health authorities in response to criticism of lockdowns, school closures, mask mandates, vaccine requirements and other COVID-era restrictions.<\/p>\n

“There’s been such an enormous backlash from the COVID-19 pandemic right across America, particularly in red states,” says Lawrence Gostin<\/u><\/a>, a professor of public health law at Georgetown University. “It’s become part of our national lore of overreaching government.”<\/p>\n

The Trump administration has reined in the Centers the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with budget cuts, staff reductions and tighter oversight by political appointees.<\/p>\n