In three additional states, an executive order, ballot initiative or state Supreme Court ruling limited long-held public health powers. Public health officials are frustrated that they, not the coronavirus, have become the enemy. Legislators there also passed limits on local officials: If jurisdictions add public health rules stronger than state public health measures, they could lose 20% of some grants. “Relying on morality and goodwill is not a good public health practice.”AdvertisementWhile some public health officials tried to fight the national wave of legislation, the underfunded public health workforce was consumed by trying to implement the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history and had little time for political action. Curbing the authority of public health officials also has become campaign fodder, particularly among Republican candidates running further on the right.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 15, 2021 19:52 UTC