Say goodbye to masks as states end mask mandates (includes video story)

Masks may become a thing of the past in our nation’s capital. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced yesterday the city will end its mask requirements on March 1. Business owners can continue to require masks if they choose. The mandate will remain at schools and public transportation.

Ten states – California, Oregon, Nevada, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Connecticut – announced last week they will end mask mandates as Omicron infections decline. Some requirements were set to end immediately and others by March 1.

“The numbers are coming down, and we know that Omicron is not as deadly,” said CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. “It doesn’t make people as sick as these previous variants.”  

While case numbers continue to fall, the Biden administration and the CDC still recommend wearing masks indoors because the virus is highly transmissible and hospitalizations are still high. 

“It is confusing, it is worrisome to people,” President Joe Biden said during an interview with NBC Nightly News’s Lester Holt. “I’ve tried to make sure we have all the vaccines needed, the boosters needed, all the masks needed, all the protection that’s needed.” 

Monday, New Jersey, Oregon, Connecticut, and Delaware governors decided to remove statewide mask mandates in classrooms. Teacher unions said the decision to rollback the masks should be taken by science and not by politicians. Study shows children from age 5 to 11 have the lowest vaccination rate in the nation.

Caplin News Producer

Eugenia Scheuren is from Caracas, Venezuela and is pursuing her Bachelor’s degree for Mass Communication – Digital TV and Multimedia Production at Florida International University. Her goal is to work as a producer for a morning/late-night television show. She has a passion for history, photography, and filmmaking.