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France set a record for Covid-19 infections this weekend, and Italy has announced new restrictions, such as closing bars and restaurants at 6 p.m. The feared fall coronavirus surge has arrived in Europe and also in the U.S., where cases continue to rise. It’s time to consider a limited and temporary national mask mandate. Consider hospitalizations, which reached 42,000 on Saturday, up from 30,000 a month ago. This increase comes even as hospital admission criteria have become more stringent, with more patients managed at home. It’s true that more testing reveals more cases. But most tests are done because people have Covid symptoms or come into contact with someone who is sick. Total hospitalizations, which are on pace to eclipse totals from the spring, are an objective measure of a rampant epidemic. (Former FDA chief Scott Gottlieb, 10/25)

This year, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, directly contradicting the crooner’s sweet sentiment, told people to avoid travel — much to the disappointment of millions of Americans who are both suffering from COVID-19 fatigue and desperately missing relatives they haven’t seen in months. But with the number of coronavirus cases rising steeply as the long-predicted fall surge arrives with a vengeance, many doctors are warning that even the most careful travelers should step back a moment before finalizing plans. (Christopher Muther, 10/24)

The bad news about the upcoming holiday season is that traditional meals and parties — involving indoor settings, poor ventilation, and prolonged, close contact — are the biggest risk factors for spreading Covid-19. The good news is that there are still plenty of reduced-risk activities for family and friends, according to an informal survey of epidemiologists and other experts. The favored modifications for holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas are limiting group size and attempting to take things outdoors. Epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch of Harvard said his family usually has a big Thanksgiving dinner for 16, but this year it’s just the four people in his nuclear family. (Faye Flam, 10/24)

If you had told parents living in Los Angeles back in March, that we would still be under lockdown seven months later and that our children would not be permitted to freely trick-or-treat on Halloween we would have started our own peaceful playground protests. As a mother of two small children, I have seen firsthand how my kids have been uniquely impacted by the extended confinement. Their routines were disrupted without warning and they've experienced broken promises of when life as they knew it would resume based on moving targets set by local officials. If you are a parent in L.A. County, you still cannot take your kids to indoor church services, concerts, fairs, inside a restaurant, or in-person public school.  (Allison Weisenberger, 10/25)

The Covid rebels make an unlikely pair. Jay Bhattacharya was born in Kolkata, an Indian city that pulsates with people. Martin Kulldorff is from Umeå, Sweden, population 90,000. Yet they have much in common. “I almost view Martin like a brother,” says the talkative Dr. Bhattacharya, 52, who moved to the U.S. with his Bengali parents when he was 4. “I mean, we complete each other’s sentences, as you can see.” The feeling is “mutual,” confirms the more phlegmatic Mr. Kulldorff, 58.Dr. Bhattacharya, a physician and economist, and Mr. Kulldorf, a biostatistician—who study epidemiology at the medical schools at Stanford and Harvard, respectively—are, in the eyes of their critics, dangerous contrarians for opposing Covid-19 lockdowns. (Tunku Varadarajan, 10/23)

It should come as no surprise to anyone that mental health and substance abuse issues are escalating during the coronavirus pandemic.  What may come as a surprise is the extent of this problem and that we are likely to see the number of individuals with mental health and substance use problems reach epidemic levels. Compounding this growing problem is a lack of resources and a shortage of professionals who are needed to assist. (Susan Kozak, 10/25)

Iowa has twice as many new coronavirus infections as the national average. This state is suffering “many preventable deaths” from COVID-19. When compared with other states, Iowa as a whole is considered a "red zone" for infections. These are the facts, according to recent White House task force reports. On Wednesday, the state reported a record high daily death count of 31 people. So what the heck is wrong with Iowa? The governor refuses to issue a mask mandate, even though public health experts recommend face coverings. The White House task force has repeatedly called on the state to require them, but Reynolds won't. (10/25)