“We’re entering a phase where it’s harder to know what the near-term future is like,” Andrew Noymer, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of California at Irvine, told Insider. … Despite concerns over variants, Noymer of UC Irvine said it’s reasonable for states to reevaluate restrictions as case numbers drop. … “I’d like to have these orders still have some meaning when in the fall we might face a new wave with variants,” Noymer said. But as far as what kinds of restrictions can safely be lifted, he said “masks should be among the last to go.”
States are lifting COVID-19 mask mandates, but with the pace of vaccinations and spread of variants, experts say it’s too soon
Business Insider, Feb. 21, 2021
February 21, 2021