This weekend, some of Florida's largest school districts have moved to require masks for students, the latest in a weeklong saga that began when Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order aimed at preventing districts from mandating face coverings for kids.

However, the mandates -- issued by districts including Hillsborough (Tampa), Orange (Orlando), and Palm Beach -- come with a catch: parents are allowed to opt their children out of them, without providing a reason.

Read the full story here.

 
The U.S. just recorded a fourth consecutive day with more than 100,000 new daily COVID-19 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The country is averaging more than 99,000 daily cases over the last week, CDC data shows, as the delta variant continues to spread.

Tom Bossert, a former White House homeland security adviser and an ABC News contributor, painted a somber picture of the COVID-19 crisis unfolding, saying, "It's too late for any meaningful mitigation" in Gulf states.

Bossert warned that hospital systems in hard-hit states could be overwhelmed within a few days as the delta variant spreads further.

"If this pace continues for the next four or five days, which it seems it will, the hospital systems in Florida and Louisiana will collapse. That's how bad this is. By 'collapse,' I mean they will be full, their ICUs and their hospitals, they will be turning away patients," he said on "Good Morning America" Saturday.

"In some states -- Florida, Louisiana, Texas is looking bad -- all through the Gulf Coast, I believe it's too late for any meaningful mitigation," he continued. "In other words, there is so much disease that what we're seeing is a mathematical certainty."

Bossert urged federal and local governments to focus on providing aid to overburdened hospital systems.

Several San Francisco restaurants have been forced to temporarily close due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Aziza, a Moroccan restaurant in the Outer Richmond area, closed after several employees' breakthrough cases.

“We’ve been closed a week, and we’ll be closed probably another week,” co-owner Scott Chilcutt told ABC San Francisco station KGO. He mandated the vaccine for employees in the spring, but three staffers still recently tested positive even after getting shots.

Laurie Thomas, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, said there’s only been a handful of recent closures, but each is painful.

"It’s like PTSD again," she said.

Thirteen theaters in Washington, D.C., have joined forces to require audiences to supply proof of vaccination in order to attend live performances at indoor venues.

In addition to the vaccination requirement, masks will be required inside the theaters. Medical and religious exemptions to the rule will be accepted, but those patrons will have to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test in order to gain entry. For children younger than 12, patrons should contact the theater directly for more information about individual policy.

More theaters are expected to join the cohort in comings weeks, according to Theatre Washington, an alliance of theater organizations and supporters.