Several counties in Hawaii, the city of Boston and the states of Michigan, Illinois and Delaware are the latest places to lift some of the coronavirus-related restrictions as the Omicron tide recedes and after the CDC offered guidelines that tell most Americans to quit from wearing masks.
By next week, all four counties in Hawaii will no longer enforce rules such as those that place restrictions on gatherings or require proof of vaccination or a negative test result to enter a business. But the requirement to use masks indoors across the state remains in place, Gov. David Ige said at a news conference on Tuesday.
Hawaii, along with Puerto Rico, is an exception in the United States, where many places had canceled or were planning to cancel mask-wearing requirements even before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released their new guidance on Friday. Under these guidelines, about 70 percent of Americans could opt out of wearing masks.
Governor Ige announced Tuesday that the state’s Safe Travel Program, a strict set of testing and quarantine requirements, will expire March 25 for domestic travelers. Mr. Ige also said that after March 25, state and county employees will no longer be required to provide their vaccination status or show negative test results at work.
The homemade mask in Hawaii will remain in place for the time being, Mr. Ige said.
“We intend to continue wearing masks indoors until March 25,” Mr Ige said. “What happens after that, we continue to assess the situation and make an announcement.”
Starting Thursday, most public employees in Michigan can waive their masks. A mask may still be required in places like medical facilities and prisons, Lisa Östlund Olson, director of the Public Employer’s Office, wrote in an email to workers on Monday.
In Illinois, masks are not mandatory in most facilities, Gov. Jay Pritzker said Monday. Mr Pritzker has also lifted the mask requirement in schools that have run into legal trouble.
Schools in Delaware will also not require masks starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Gov. John Carney said Monday. They will also not be required in most government offices starting Wednesday.
In Boston, masks will no longer be required at businesses from March 5, but will still be required at hospitals, schools, public transportation, and the airport.