WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- More states and major cities across the U.S. are lifting their vaccination and mask mandates as the rate of COVID-19 infections drops, but health experts have warned dropping pandemic protocols too soon may worsen the spread of the virus.
California, the most populous U.S. state, unveiled a milestone plan last week, as Governor Gavin Newsom announced the state would become the first in the nation to treat the coronavirus as a manageable, "endemic" risk.
Now California has already ended its mask mandate for fully vaccinated residents, but state health officials still strongly encourage mask-wearing in public indoor spaces.
The governors of New York and Massachusetts also announced last week they would end certain mask mandates in their states, following similar moves by New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Oregon.
According to a weekly report published by CDC last Friday, the country is now averaging about 120,000 daily new cases, a decrease of 43 percent compared with the previous week.
But public health experts noted while about 76 percent of the population has received at least one shot of vaccine, millions of people still have not.
In the meantime, U.S. President Joe Biden announced last week the national emergency declared about two years ago, will be extended as a result of the ongoing risk to public health posed by the coronavirus.
The emergency declaration, which came into effect on March 1, 2020, created access to up to 50 billion U.S. dollars in federal aid for fighting the pandemic.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
