States are lifting COVID-19 mask mandates, but with the pace of vaccinations and spread of variants, experts say it’s too soon

States are lifting COVID-19 mask mandates, but with the pace of vaccinations and spread of variants, experts say it’s too soon

“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.”