California, New Jersey, Connecticut and possibly New York soon: Democratic-run US states announce lifting of mandatory mask-wearing indoors and at school, months after Republican states and as the epidemic of COVID-19 is flowing back into the country.
Wearing a mask is a very strong political marker in the United States, where the obligation to cover the face is considered an infringement of individual freedoms by a large part of the right and the Republican Party.
Thus, in almost two years of pandemic – which killed more than 900,000 people across the country – states governed by Republicans, such as Florida and Texas, have always refused to oblige the wearing of the mask, while it is taxed in shops, schools, public services, transport and sometimes businesses in democratic states.
But since Monday, states on the east coast and the west coast, which traditionally vote Democratic and which apply strict sanitary measures, have announced relaxations.
” Back to normal “
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, narrowly re-elected in November, said mask-wearing would no longer be mandatory in all schools in the state starting March 7, “a huge step toward getting back to normal.” for our children”.
He was followed Monday evening by his colleague Ned Lamont, governor of the small state of Connecticut, where the obligation of the mask at school will be lifted on February 28.
Another small state, Delaware – where President Joe Biden’s residence is located – also announced through the voice of its governor, John Carney, that the obligation to wear a mask in closed places would only be a memory as soon as Friday, and the port in schools, from March 31.
But it was Governor Gavin Newsom, chief executive of the huge and very populous California (40 million citizens), who made an impression on Monday evening: no more indoor masks for all vaccinated residents from of February 15.
No more mask
Gavin Newsom invoked on Twitter “a contamination rate down 65% since the peak of the Omicron variant” and a “stabilization of hospitalizations throughout the State”. On the other hand, the wearing of the mask will remain in force in schools and for unvaccinated people, the governor ordering them to “get vaccinated” or receive their third dose.
Finally, in Oregon, Governor Kate Brown announced on Twitter that she “would lift mask requirements no later than March 31”.
Enough to put pressure on the State and the City of New York, led respectively by Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul and by the new mayor from the right wing of the Democratic Party, Eric Adams.
The very right-wing tabloid New York Post pointed out on Tuesday that Eric Adams had himself acknowledged a “positivity rate [au variant Omicron] in schools by less than 1%” among children.
But the megalopolis, which was the epicenter of the pandemic in the United States in 2020 (with at least 38,000 dead) remains traumatized and has a priori nothing planned to announce in the coming days. Wearing a mask remains well respected in transport and closed public places, even in the streets.
Daily contaminations in the United States are in free fall, with just under 300,000 cases per day according to the rolling average over seven days, calculate the health authorities. Far from the peak of 800,000 cases reached in mid-January.
However, the country passed the 900,000 death mark from COVID-19 on February 4 in nearly two years, according to Johns Hopkins University. The threshold of 800,000 deaths had been passed in mid-December.
The number of deaths therefore continues to increase, in this country where only 64% of the population is fully vaccinated, despite the great ease of access to doses.