Overview: At least 8 US states lift mask mandates

At least 8 states lift mask mandates; teachers unions call for reopening all schools this fall: Latest COVID-19 updates Coronavirus cases in the US are at their lowest rate since September and deaths are at their lowest point since April 2020. The latest COVID news. Elinor Aspegren and Ryan W. Miller USA TODAY

At least eight states began to lift mask mandates following the CDC's updated guidance that fully vaccinated Americans could discard masks outdoors and in many situations indoors.

The new guidelines announced by Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, represent a major step toward a return to normalcy for a nation battered and at times divided by a pandemic that has lasted more than a year.

"Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,'' Walensky said. "If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic.''

Soon after, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington began to adjust their mask-wearing guidance. 

"When you get vaccinated, the CDC says it is safe to take that mask off, so go on out, get that shot," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. "Let's defeat this pandemic once and for all."

The White House and Congressional offices on Thursday lifted its mandate for staff and visitors to wear masks after updated CDC guidance. 

Also in the news:

►In a letter in the journal Science, 18 infectious disease experts, immunologists and epidemiologists joined a global call for more information about the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak. It's still unclear how it originated, and the the lack of information feeds conspiracy theories and prevents scientists and policymakers from taking steps to prevent the next deadly pandemic, the experts said.

►Many U.S. Latinos who remain unvaccinated want a shot but are concerned about losing work hours, having to pay for the vaccine or facing immigration issues, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll. It also found that 47% of Hispanic adults have received at least one dose. That's below 60% for white adults and 51% for Blacks.

►Washington State is on track to fully reopen its economy by June 30, and a full reopening could happen even sooner if 70% or more of residents over age 16 have receive at least one dose of vaccine by then, Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday.

►Coronavirus cases in the U.S. are at their lowest rate since September and deaths are at their lowest point since April 2020, averaging about 600 a day. But some experts still worry that the emergence of variants could disrupt that momentum and create another surge, especially as the virus continues to rage in other parts of the world.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has more than 32.8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 584.4 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: 160.8 million cases and 3.34 million deaths. More than 339.1 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and more than 266.5 million have been administered, according to the CDC. More than 118.9 million Americans have been fully vaccinated — 35.8% of the population. ...