How are Covid-19 mandates being covered on television news? The timeline below shows total mentions of the words "mandate/mandates" since the start of the pandemic, covering everything from mask mandates to social distancing mandates to discussion of possible vaccination mandates. Noteworthy surges in the timeline below include June 2020 mask mandates, March 2021 battles over lifting mandates and the May 2021 CDC recommendation on lifting mask mandates. Since the start of July 2021, mentions of mandates have surged to their highest levels since the start of the pandemic as the national debate centers on whether to impose a national vaccination mandate.