Mask Mandates Are Ending

Stat: As Mask Mandates Fade, Experts Say Use Of Masks Likely Will Not
Late last year, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made a commitment about face masks, one of the defining symbols of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Masks are for now, they’re not forever,” Walensky told ABC News. “We have to find a way to be done with them.” On Friday, Walensky is expected to deliver at least in part on that pledge, outlining long-awaited new guidance on when the CDC believes people should consider wearing masks and when they might safely stash them in a drawer for a time. (Branswell, 2/25)

Bloomberg: Covid 19: Most Californians Back School Mask, Vaccine Requirements
Most California voters support mandated Covid-19 vaccinations and masking for students and teachers at K-12 schools, according to a new survey by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies. About two-thirds of the roughly 9,000 respondents said they wanted the precautions to contain the virus, according to the poll, which was co-sponsored and published by the Los Angeles Times on Thursday. The views diverged according to political affiliation: While about 85% of Democrats backed vaccine mandates for schools about 70% of Republicans opposed them. (McGregor, 2/24)

Fox News: School Mask Mandates End In New Hamphire As Other States Look At Removing Vaccination Rules
While more mask mandates have been lifted across the country this week, some have also acted to reverse proof of COVID-19 vaccination requirements. In New Hampshire, schools will no longer be allowed to mandate masks. "I don’t think this should be viewed as a drastic change or measure, it’s just kind of another step forward as we continue to return to the old normal," Gov. Chris Sununu said. "We know that masking can be a very powerful tool in times of surging transmissibility, but it obviously has drawbacks, especially for kids in schools and those with disabilities." (Musto, 2/24)

Also —

KHN: The Stress Of Restaurant Work Is Reaching A Boiling Point. Could A Staff Therapist Help?
Restaurant jobs have always been difficult, but the mental stress has gotten worse during the pandemic as restaurants closed or cut hours — or became ground zero for the fight over mask-wearing. “It is totally nerve-wracking sometimes because all of my tables I’m interacting with aren’t wearing their masks,” said Nikki Perri, a server at French 75, a restaurant in downtown Denver. “I am within 6 feet of people who are maskless.” Perri is 23, a DJ, and a music producer. And she’s not just worrying about her own health. (Daley, 2/25)

Meanwhile in Florida —

Miami Herald: DeSantis Has New, Nonbinding COVID Guidelines For Florida 
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo unveiled a series of updated COVID-19 guidelines on Thursday in an announcement that criticized current recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state’s Department of Health, which Ladapo leads, is now recommending that businesses should stop requiring employees to wear masks. The department is giving doctors a way to complain to state regulators if healthcare facilities don’t approve of their treatment plans for COVID-19 patients. And the state says Floridians can stop isolating and reappear maskless in public five days after testing positive for the virus — as long as they have no fever and their symptoms are improving. (Wilson, 2/24)

Politico: Miami-Dade Mayor Says City Is Moving From Crisis To Covid-19 'Safety Mode'
As states and cities across the country begin lifting Covid-19 restrictions, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said on Thursday that her city is “moving out of crisis and into safety mode. ”Speaking at POLITICO’s The Fifty: America’s Mayors summit, Levine Cava recounted that Miami-Dade had the highest vaccination rates in the state and managed 70,000 testing at the height of Omicron surge over the fall and winter. She added that her city provided the latest treatments as well, including monoclonal antibody treatments. (Matat, 2/24)