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Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't mincing words when calling out anti-maskers. The "Terminator" star and former governor of California addressed Americans who are still "in denial" about the severity of the pandemic during an interview with CNN's Bianna Golodryga on Wednesday. “There is a virus here. It kills people and the only way we prevent it is: get vaccinated, wear masks, do social distancing, washing your hands all the time, and not just to think about, ‘Well my freedom is being kind of disturbed here.’ No, screw your freedom," Schwarzenegger said. (Ryu, 8/12)

Texas’ most populous county on Thursday joined the legal battle by local officials seeking to override Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates and institute protections against COVID-19 as hospitals around the state continue to swell with patients sickened by the virus. Harris County, where Houston is located, first filed a lawsuit against Abbott’s executive order banning mask mandates by any state, county or local government entity. A few hours later on Thursday, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced the county health authority had issued an order requiring that people must wear masks when inside any public school, non-religious private school or licensed child care center in the county. (Lozano, 8/12)

Gov. Tate Reeves announced Thursday he is extending the state of emergency order in Mississippi for 30 days, but he will not issue mask mandates despite a warning that hospitals across the state are on the verge of collapse. Tate said the extension is meant to make it easier for the state to seek federal assistance during the current COVID-19 surge. (Sanderlin, 8/12)

Amid a surge in coronavirus variants, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a strong call Thursday to its members to wear masks “in public meetings whenever social distancing is not possible” and to “be vaccinated.” “We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants,” the governing First Presidency wrote to everyone in the 16.6 million-member church. “...We want to do all we can to limit the spread of these viruses. We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population.” (Stack, 8/12)

As Raider Nation converges on Allegiant Stadium Saturday for the first Raiders game at the $2 billion facility with fans, remember “face mask” is not a penalty in this case. It’s a mandatory rule for all that attend. The mandate Gov. Steve Sisolak issued last month requiring masks be worn at all times at indoor facilities will apply to the tens of thousands of fans anticipated to attend the preseason game versus the Seattle Seahawks. The Raiders said they’ll follow state and local guidelines and will require fans and employees to wear masks while inside the stadium. Under the directive, event attendees must wear a mask unless actively eating or drinking. (Akers, 8/11)

With the delta variant surging through the state, nearly all Oklahomans should be wearing a mask again indoors, according to recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The fully vaccinated in Beaver and Ellis counties are the exceptions. For the rest of the state, transmission levels are high enough that the CDC recommends vaccinated people still wear a mask in indoor, public spaces. Unvaccinated people — regardless of where they live — are still urged to mask up indoors, too. The Oklahoma Health Department appears out of sync with those recommendations, even as the department says it "has and will continue to follow" CDC guidance. In a statement this week, the state’s top health official framed mask-wearing as a “personal choice." (Branham, 8/13)

Currently, at least four states and Puerto Rico have indoor mask mandates for the vaccinated and unvaccinated: Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, Louisiana. Most states have not issued new mandates -- focusing on vaccination instead -- but a number, including California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington, have recommended constituents follow the CDC's guidance. Each state's guidelines vary slightly. (Lenthang and Mitropoulos, 8/13)

An internal presentation circulated within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month, and eventually obtained by news organizations, offered clear advice for countering the contagious Delta variant: “Given higher transmissibility and current vaccine coverage, universal masking is essential.” But the recommendation issued by the agency was considerably more nuanced, advising Americans, vaccinated or not, to wear masks in indoor public settings in areas with “substantial” or “high” virus transmission. (Rabin, 8/12)