What some Republicans call “freedom to breathe” could be the center of reignited national debate over mask and vaccine requirements, as several lawmakers say the country needs to protect against mandates, while others say doing so is performative and dangerous to public health. 

Covid hospitalizations — defined as any patient admitted to a hospital who has tested positive for the virus in the last week even if it isn’t the reason for the admission — soared nearly 16 percent in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest weekly data. In response, some businesses, hospitals, and schools around the country have re-imposed mask or screening requirements.

Citing concerns that recent Covid upticks would cause public health officials to revert to pandemic measures, Senator Vance asked for unanimous consent for the Freedom to Breathe Act in the Senate on Thursday afternoon. Democrats blocked the bill, which aimed to prevent tax dollars from being used to enforce mask mandates on planes, public transit, and public schools, and was co-sponsored by Senators Braun and Hawley.

“All of us have lived through the failed experiment of mandatory masking. Today I want to ensure that we do not subject the American people to this tyranny again for the sake of nothing,” Mr. Vance said. 

The bill had an expiration date of December 31, 2024, to allow the government to respond to future pandemics should they arise.

“I don’t like this fact but Covid is here to stay. Seasonal upticks in a respiratory virus are exactly to be expected,” Mr. Vance said. “They shouldn’t cause panic from our leadership or from our country and they shouldn’t cause us to reimpose a policy that has failed time and time again.” 

A Democratic senator of Massachusetts, Edward Markey, objected, calling the bill a distraction. 

“This provision would violate a long held belief in the Republican Party that states and localities should not be told what to do by a federal government removed from the realities that they’re seeing on the ground in their neighborhoods,” Mr. Markey said. “We should have an aquarium down in the well of the Senate to capture all of the red herrings that are being introduced into this public health debate.” 

After Democrats blocked the bill, a spokesman for Mr. Vance told The New York Sun it sent “a clear signal to the nation that Democrats support the return of mask mandates.”

The national debate over mask mandates has sparked concern in some cities. At Huntington Beach, California, the City Council voted 4-3 to approve a proposal introduced by Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark to make Huntington Beach a “no mask, no vaccine mandate city,” with an exception for those who have tested positive for Covid. 

Ms. Van Der Mark told the Sun the city council was taking a stand against “another invasion of individual liberties.” She said the majority of feedback from residents has been supportive. 

“The national media has already been covering stories about a possible return of such mandates,” Ms. Van Der Mark said. “City Hall will be mandate-free, and the rest of the Huntington Beach community of individuals and businesses should have the freedom to choose whether to wear masks or not, to get vaccinated or not.”

Council Member Dan Kalmick told the Sun that the proposal was not relevant because no mask or vaccine requirements are being discussed in the city. 

“This is a made up controversy,” Mr. Kalmick said. “To pass a ban on something that no one’s proposing to actually implement is ridiculous and a waste of people’s time.