The Sconi

Madison businesses have voiced their thoughts on the end of the mask mandate, from good to not so good.

Zach Brandon, the president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, said the organization conducted a study on the topic, which revealed interesting tidbits.  

“It was 71% who said the mask mandate negatively impacted their business. So even those that supported it still were acknowledging there was a negative impact," Brandon said, according to Channel 3000. 

Channel 3000 reported that businesses are prepared for an end to the mask mandate.

Brandon added that he wanted companies to make their own conclusions with regard to implementing mask rules, according to the news station.

During the State of the Union address earlier this month, President Joe Biden said we had reached a pivotal milestone in the pandemic, whitehouse.gov reported.

White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zientz said that when the pandemic began, there were limited tools for people to protect themselves from the virus, including masks, isolation and social distancing. 

“But all of that’s changed,” Zientz said, according to whitehouse.gov. “Today, we have the tools we need to protect each other and treat COVID-19. They’re widely available for the American people. And with Congress’s help, the president’s (COVID-19 preparedness) plan will make sure that’s always the case.”

Zientz also said that Pfizer’s new pill is a “gamechanger” that would have a 90% efficiency rate in keeping people out of medical institutions. 

“We collaborated with Pfizer to accelerate development of the pill,” he said. “And we’ve ordered 20 million courses.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci said that the National Institutes of Health regularly meet to update guidelines as new clinical evidence emerges.

“This ongoing research investment is not only helping us turn the corner on COVID-19 but also is vital to preparing us for future pandemics,” he said.