Nearly a dozen states move to end masking mandates as COVID-19 infection rates fall

Since Monday, 11 states have announced changes to their statewide masking policies.

A growing number of states are moving to drop mask mandates and COVID-19 restrictions, as Americans hope to move into a new phase of the pandemic.

The decision comes despite continued push back from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which still recommend that masks be worn in areas of substantial or high transmission, and in educational settings, regardless of vaccination status.

"We're not quite there yet," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told radio station WYPR this week. The CDC "still recommends that all schools encourage students to wear well-fitting masks consistently and while indoors. And that's consistent with our guidance that still also recommends that people mask in public indoor settings in areas of high or substantial transmission."

Nationwide, nearly 99% of U.S. counties are still reporting high community transmission.