The undue influences on the 2020 presidential election already have been documented: Mark Zuckerberg’s $400 million handout to election officials who often used it to recruit leftist voters. And the FBI’s interference when it falsely told media groups to censor accurate reporting about the Biden family’s international business schemes because it was Russian disinformation, when it wasn’t.

But the rampage of COVID-19 across the country also had an impact. Voting rules were changed, vote-counting procedures changed. voting periods extended until sometimes weeks after election day and more.

Now that the 2024 election is coming into view, it seems that COVID is surging again.

“Mandates are coming back just in time for the 2024 election cycle,” conservative Collin Rugg posted online. “What impeccable timing!”

A report at Just the News noted Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk cited new COVID restrictions are “just in time for Democrats to reinforce the importance of mass mail-in ballots.”

“They’re coming back for round two,” said conservative figure Ian Miles Cheong on X, the new name for Twitter.

It was accompanied by a video of Anthony Fauci, formerly Joe Biden’s COVID adviser, defending pandemic lockdowns.

“I keep hearing whispers of COVID restrictions coming back,” said Congresswoman Lauren Boebert in the report.

And Kari Lake tweeted about the rumors, calling them the “Covid-19 Election Variant.”

The comments and criticism came in the aftermath of several organizations announcing new COVID mandates starting now.

Morris Brown College announced on Instagram that “effective immediately,” COVID-19 protocols including a mask mandate are in effect.

Even though there are no confirmed COVID-19 cases on campus.

Just the News reported CNN also was warning “protocols” may be needed for Americans with diabetes, cancer or other health complications. It listed social distancing, bans on “large gatherings,” isolation efforts, contact tracing and more.

Also, Lionsgate, a presence in Hollywood, called for an ongoing mask mandate.

Ironically, the mandates, from masks to lockdowns, appear to diverge from “the science.”

The report said, “Researchers writing for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the peer-reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences, found ‘no evidence’ in 2021 to suggest that the shelter-in-place orders yielded ‘substantial reductions’ in COVID-19 cases or deaths. A John Hopkins University study conducted last year also deemed lockdowns ‘ill-founded and should be rejected as a pandemic policy instrument.’”

Radio host Dan Bongino said, “Only morons wear surgical masks as protection against a microscopic airborne virus.”

This article was originally published by the WND News Center.

This post originally appeared on WND News Center.