The U-Turn on COVID Mandates: Government’s Denial and the Triumph of Human Rights : In recent times, federal officials seemed intent on implementing mask mandates, COVID-19 testing requirements, vaccine mandates, and vaccine passport systems, all of which raised questions about personal autonomy and threatened our fundamental rights to travel and assemble. These officials pursued policies that sought to segregate those who were “unvaccinated” from the rest of society, leading to coercive measures that resulted in job terminations and military discharges. However, today, these same federal officials appear to be backpedaling on their coercive strategies, even denying their involvement in policies that endangered the lives and livelihoods of fellow Americans.