A new report from Joe Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services actually recommends bringing back mask mandates despite the fact that the COVID pandemic is well in the rearview mirror for most Americans.

“Masking and social distancing should be encouraged or even mandated once more in public in order to protect people from COVID-19 and from the possibility of suffering from ‘Long COVID,’ according to a new report from the” department, Fox News Digital reported.

“The report, commissioned by HHS and produced by research agency Coforma, calls for a broad range of government policies to help people who continue to deal with the lingering effects of COVID. Those policies include an awareness campaign, funding for long COVID support groups, financial support for students and workers, and new health benefits for COVID victims,” the report continued.

The most controversial recommendation in the HHS report, by far, is the return of mask mandates. The report claimed that ending the mandate in late 2021 and 2022 made it more difficult for Americans with long COVID, though the definition of that condition continues to change since the disease is still so new.

“The lifting of mask mandates and indifferent attitude toward masking and social distancing typical in many public and private places further isolates people with Long COVID,” the report said. As such, policymakers should “encourage or mandate policies and protocols regarding masking and social distancing in public spaces,” the HHS report continued.

It should be noted that in September, President Biden declared that the “pandemic is over.” What’s more, his administration has been fighting in court to end Title 42, a Trump-era policy that allowed for rapid return of illegal immigrants back across the border to prevent the spread of the virus.

But Biden’s administration has continued pushing for more funding and policies to continue ‘fighting’ the virus. Just last week, the White House asked lawmakers for another $10 billion, while a top HHS official claimed that listening to people with long COVID should be a long-term priority for the federal government.

“Listening to and learning from the experiences of long COVID patients is essential to accelerating understanding and breakthroughs,” said Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for health, adding that the new HHS report is “evidence of our commitment to engaging communities to provide patient-led solutions.”

In addition to mask mandates, the HHS report laid out other priorities the administration is likely to seek, per Fox News Digital:

It calls for expanded mental and behavioral health care for people with long COVID, their caregivers and support groups. It pushes for revised federal and state policies to make sure companies and schools provide needed support for those with long COVID, including guidelines on how to accommodate them.

It also calls for “vaccine promotion as a preventative measure for Long COVID.”

Mask mandates are not likely to be popular with a majority of the country, given our recent two-year hate-hate relationship with them.