Only One State In The United States Will Have An Indoor Mask Requirement In The Near Future

The most noticeable shift in how millions of Americans today view the threat from COVID-19 is that wearing a face mask is becoming increasingly unnecessary as pandemic laws relax across most of the United States.

With the exception of Hawaii, every state is abandoning or plans to abandon mask laws as the Omicron outbreak subsides, with infections and hospitalizations falling even as the disease continues to kill roughly 2,000 Americans every day. 

This month, California, Nevada, and New Mexico were among the states that repealed mask laws. Some of the country's largest firms are returning to some form of pre-pandemic existence, with others going even further and eliminating vaccine obligations for employees.

Indoor mask rules for businesses were abolished in New York and Rhode Island this month, but they are still required in schools. By the end of March, Illinois, Oregon, Washington, and Washington, D.C. plan to let mask requirements expire. A Massachusetts school mask order is slated to expire at the end of February.

Not everyone is happy with the outcome.

According to the Associated Press, Massachusetts parent Kerry Arouca remarked after her state's declaration, "I'm pretty uncomfortable with it." "I believe that until we have a better understanding of COVID-19, the youngsters should do their best to keep their masks on, with some mask breaks outside until everyone gets vaccinated," says the doctor.