Blue States Begin End To Mask Mandates

This week, several Democrat-run blue states have announced they will begin ending the mask mandates. Governors made decisions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, and Oregon as they also wrestle with which restrictions to discard and which ones to keep in place.
California announced plans to end its indoor masking requirement for vaccinated people next week, but masks will still be the rule for school children. Additionally, unvaccinated people will still be required to be masked indoors after February 15. State officials said that everyone would continue to wear masks in higher-risk areas such as public transit, nursing homes, and other living facilities. Local governments can continue their indoor masking requirements.

New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, while announcing the end to indoor masking for businesses would end on Thursday, said she will wait until after winter break to decide on masks in schools.

Speculation over the timing also surrounds the decisions regarding dropping the mask mandates. It has some wondering if there is a connection to Democrats scrambling to prepare for this year’s midterms. Others believe it is connected to Biden’s continued drop in the polls.