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More state leaders acted to strike down mask mandates on Thursday, citing a decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan called on the State Board of Education to stop requiring face coverings in schools.
A growing number of medical professionals, parents and bipartisan state officials throughout the nation are calling for an end to school mask requirements," the governor said Thursday. "In light of dramatic improvements to our health metrics and the widespread availability of vaccines, I am calling on you to take action to rescind this policy."
MASK MANDATES EASED ACROSS US AS COVID-19 HOSPITALIZATIONS DROP BELOW 100,000
Hogan announced that hospitalizations in Maryland have dropped by 71% – falling to below 1,000.
While the education board released a statement earlier this week saying that it was watching COVID-19 metrics improve in the state "with optimism," Hogan highlighted the "consequences" of pandemic regulations and the need to "move toward normalcy for students and families by rescinding the school masking policy."
The governor also pointed out that Maryland ended the state's indoor mask mandate in May.
"We must all learn to live with this virus, not in fear of it," he said.
Nevada's Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak announced that the state no longer required face coverings in most places, "effective immediately."
People play craps while wearing masks and between plexiglas partitions as a precaution against the coronavirus at the opening night of the Mohegan Sun Casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas in Las Vegas on March 25, 2021. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
On Thursday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board lifted the face-covering rule for casinos "unless a local jurisdiction still imposes such a requirement," and masks were not required for schools beginning Friday morning.
Masks may still be required in hospitals, clinics and long-term care facilities, at airports and on aircraft and on public buses and school buses.
However, Sisolak said masks aren’t mandatory anymore in jails and correctional facilities.
The governor – who is seeking re-election in November – also highlighted a steep decline in COVID-19 cases since the January peak of the omicron variant.
New cases there average about 1,280 each day, compared with 7,865 on Jan. 10.
The spread of the virus in Nevada remains far above federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) thresholds for positivity and new cases per population of 100,000.
"I want to be clear, the emergency is not over," Sisolak said. "The pandemic is not over. We’re still getting far too many cases, far too many hospitalizations and far too many deaths."
"I’m hopeful and confident, based on the data we have, we are in a good positions to drop this and to give people back some freedom. Everyone wants to get back to their normal life ... I mean, it's been two years. I think the time has come," he added.
Nationally, cases and hospitalizations have dropped, though deaths are still above pandemic peaks.
Data from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center showed 3,179 new deaths and 147,416 new cases.
An epidemiological report from the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that case counts fell 50% in the U.S. and 17% globally.
Across the U.S., COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped nearly 30% over the past three weeks.
A vast majority of Americans are protected against serious illness from the highly transmissible variant – which makes up 99.9% of cases – by effective vaccines and boosters.
While many states have taken steps to lift mandates or loosen restrictions, the CDC continues to recommend that people wear masks indoors in places of "substantial or high transmission" of the virus.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said earlier this week that residents should still continue to follow guidance from the agency in states where masking is no longer recommended.
The head of the WHO issued a warning Wednesday stressing that "COVID isn’t through with us," although its focus was more on vaccinations than masks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.