Don Reid [email protected] As the number of new COVID-19 infections fall, Branch-Hillsdale-St Joseph Health Agency has encountered community questions about restrictions, including restaurants limited to 25% capacity and schools not returning to full in-person instruction. Restrictions have become political topics. At the agency’s board meeting Thursday, St. Joseph County commissioner Jared Hoffmaster wanted to know if masks continue to be a requirement in schools. This came after Three Rivers went from full-time in-person classes to a hybrid two-days-per-week approach, because of COVID-19 infections. Hoffmaster said it is a political issue “because parents want their children back in school.”