President Joe Biden is facing pressure to lift federal COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates after four Democratic-led states began rolling back restrictions earlier this week, according to the Daily Mail.
The Democratic governors of California, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, and Oregon all announced plans to lift mask mandates indoors and/or in schools on Monday, the outlet reported.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that the state would lift its indoor mask mandate for vaccinated individuals next week.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said a statewide mask mandate in schools and childcare centers would end on Feb. 28.
Delaware Gov. John Carney announced that the universal indoor mask mandate would end Friday, and school mandates will expire on March 31.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he would rescind a statewide mask order for school students on March 7.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said her state's indoor and school-wide mandate would end March 31.
A day later, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told the Senate Finance Committee during a congressional hearing that masks remain a "helpful tool" to reduce the spread of COVID-19. He also implied that we are not yet at the point where we should be rolling back precautionary measures.
"Do parents, in an ideal setting, want their kids in masks? No parent would want a mask if it's not needed," Murthy said.
"I think our goal should be to get to a place where we can pull back on these types of restrictions," he added.
Outside the U.S., several European and Nordic nations are rolling back their own restrictions as the omicron variant's surge appears to be slowing. COVID cases and deaths continue but reports suggest they continue to fall.
The White House has yet to endorse the Democratic governors' moves to lift the restrictions.
Biden's press secretary, in addressing the topic of what states are doing, did not endorse a national rollback.
As reported by the Daily Mail, she said: 'These states, I think it's important to note, they still allow for decisions to be made by local school districts. ... 'Our hope is that states' leaders will look at the science and data about what's going on. They'll make decisions about local school districts. Local school districts have always made these decisions. That remains the case."
She deferred to the CDC for a more specific rollback timeline.
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