Before you throw away that mask, consider the sobering statistics :
While COVID cases and hospitalizations are going down, more than 2,000 Americans are still dying every day.
The US is now averaging 151,056 new Covid-19 cases, almost all of them unvaccinated.
And only 28% of Americans have received the recommended booster dose, according to the CDC.
States including New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Nevada have lifted most mask requirements. In California, where we live, indoor masking has gone away, but only for the vaccinated.
Masks are still mandatory on all public transit and planes across the country.
So before you ditch your mask, consider whether the viral transmission is high in your area and whether you are putting yourself, loved ones — especially young children who may not have gotten the vaccine yet — at risk.