This is the most obvious shift in the way millions of Americans view the threat from COVID-19.
With the exception of Hawaii and California, every state is either removing or planning to remove mask mandates as Omicron surge recedes. Infections are declining while the disease continues killing approximately 2,000 Americans per day. New Mexico, Nevada and California were among the states to drop mask mandates this month. Some of the nation’s largest employers are also returning to pre-pandemic conditions. Other companies have gone further and dropped vaccine requirements for their workers.
“I think people feel more comfortable,” Javier Amaro, a Las Cruces vendor, told a CBS affiliate .
New York and Rhode Island have lifted indoor mask regulations for businesses this month, but they still require them in schools. Illinois, Washington, Washington, and Washington, D.C., will let mask requirements expire by March 31st. The Massachusetts school mask order is due to expire in February.
Some people are not happy.
According to The Associated Press, Kerry Arouca, a Massachusetts parent said that she was “pretty uncomfortable” with the announcement. “I believe that until we have a better understanding of COVID-19, the children should try to keep their masks on until everyone is vaccinated.
One school district in West Baton Rouge, Louisiana stopped using masks by the end of October. The superintendent of the district, Wesley Watts, said that the school district was ready to accept the masks because they had a pulse.
After a judge ruled that a state mandate was invalidated, masks are now optional in a Vienna school district. “We are two years into this. “So we do have data, trend history, and some things that we can look at,” Joshua Stafford, the district superintendent, said.
Stafford said that there are also people who have autoimmune disorders or other health conditions. This must be considered when weighing in on the global pandemic. He called it “not an easy choice.”
Not ready to de-mask
The decision to keep the state’s mask rules was easier for Hawaii Governor David Ige. According to , Hawaii’s COVID-19 death rate is second in the country. “In part because of the indoor-mask mandate,” Ige stated to the local news station KITV.
Puerto Rick is taking a cautious approach. The U.S. territory has no immediate plans to lift the mask mandate.
“We are seeing a steady reduction in statistics concerning the positivity rate, hospitalizations, and which presents us with an improved picture,” Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said last week in a statement. “Even so it is not time to let down our guard; we must continue protecting ourselves from this virus and maintaining the necessary precautionary steps.”
California recently lifted their mandate. This was done in mid-December to reduce the Omicron variant’s impact. However, local health departments have the option to set more stringent rules. Los Angeles County residents will soon be able to go maskless if they can show proof that they have been vaccinated at indoor venues.
Janice Hahn, LA County Supervisor, tweeted Tuesday that it looks like the new rules will allow “vaccinated persons to take off their masks indoors at locations that check for proofs of vaccination.” She added, “This brings us closer to aligning ourselves with the state.”
LA County is the only California county that requires people to wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status. Even though states have relaxed the rules regarding facial coverings, people who aren’t vaccinated must still wear them in certain indoor settings, such as nursing homes and public transportation.
LA Unified School District announced Tuesday that it had dropped outdoor mask requirements on all campuses. However, not all students followed the lead, as many were seen outside wearing masks.
Student Andrez Mendoza said that everyone was used to the masks. “During PE, which was just what I had, the teacher told us that we could take off our masks. No one did.”
This reluctance is shared by many New Yorkers, at the very least when it comes to indoor spaces. Two weeks have passed since Gov. Kathy Hochul allowed the state’s indoor-mask mandate to expire. A survey revealed that many residents felt Hochul should have kept the requirement.
Steven Greenberg, Siena College pollster, stated that there is not a consensus regarding indoor masks being required in public places. “But, a majority of voters (45%) believe that the indoor mask mandate should be maintained.”
CDC remains steadfast — at least for now
Federal regulations regarding masks are also being maintained. The Transportation Security Administration will likely extend airport and in-flight mask requirements that were slated to expire on March 18, according to Bloomberg News.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated last week that they might ease their mask guidance and consider hospitalizations when deciding whether masks are needed. The CDC guidance suggests that people wear masks in areas of substantial or high transmission. This currently covers almost the country.
“As we look at future metrics, which we will soon update, we recognize not only cases — which continue in substantial or high communicable disease in over 97% our counties in the nation — but also critically, medically serious diseases that lead to hospitalizations,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky stated in a briefing at The White House last week. “We must also consider hospital capacity as an important barometer.”
The physician stated, “We want people to have a break from mask-wearing when these metrics are better and then have the ability reach for them again should the situation worsen.”