At this point, there are very few statewide mask mandates. In fact, there are only 4, those being Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, and Illinois, and all but Hawaii have set end dates. There are still a lot of local ones though. My concern is that given the seasonal nature of the virus, that blue states will reinstate these mandates every winter. The CDC has floated the idea of changing their recommendations, but I have mixed feelings about that. The current recommendation of masking in counties with substantial or high transmission is ludicrous. In New York, we've been above that threshold for 22 of the last 24 months. In fact, that metric is so ludicrous that even the craziest blue state governors are willing to ignore it. If the CDC were to change their metrics, then I think it still gives these mayors and governors reason to slap the masks back on every winter, and then it becomes a never-ending cycle. On the other hand, more reasonable metrics would give more of the reprieve to the few jurisdictions that actually follow them, like Los Angeles County for instance.
