Technologies

CDC Mask Policy Change: What Happens to State COVID Mandates Now?

The CDC’s updated guidance for indoor masking comes as Hawaii is set to be the only state still requiring indoor masks for everyone.

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new recommendations for wearing masks indoors to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. More specifically, the CDC changed the metrics it uses to determine COVID community levels, on which its masking recommendations hinge.

While the agency previously measured new COVID cases and local positivity rate, the agency now considers three new metrics — new hospitalizations, ICU bed occupancy rate and new COVID cases. The CDC’s decision reduces the number of Americans living in counties with high COVID levels from a large majority to a considerable minority of less than 30%.

You can look up your own county’s community COVID level on the CDC’s Community Levels by County Tracker. The CDC still advises that people at higher risk of severe complications from COVID-19 take extra precautions, regardless of their community COVID level.

These updated masking recommendations also apply to schools and come at a time when many states and cities are lifting their masking requirements for indoor spaces. New Mexico, California, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Nevada, New York and Illinois all ended their indoor mask mandates in the past few weeks. Many places are also dropping or have announced ends to school mask mandates.

The CDC’s new guidelines for community COVID levels will not immediately affect the federal mask mandates. Americans will still be required to wear face coverings on public transportation, including airlines, until at least March 18. The Biden administration has not yet indicated whether or not it intends to extend that mandate.

Read on to learn more about the CDC’s new mask guidance and which states and cities still require masks indoors. For more, read about out our top face mask picks, the best masks for children and the face mask myths putting people at risk.

What are the CDC’s new mask recommendations?

The CDC still recommends that people in areas with high levels of COVID-19 transmission wear masks indoors. What’s changed is the way CDC determines a high level of community transmission. Instead of looking simply at new cases and positivity rates, the agency is now taking a more «holistic» approach that evaluates the total impact of COVID-19 on the local community.

The agency is now factoring hospitalizations and the number of available ICU beds into its calculations for determining the impact of COVID-19 on communities. As the omicron variant surge lessens and studies continue to show less severe illness from the omicron variant, hospitalization rates have plummeted even faster than case rates.

The CDC has said that people outdoors generally do not need to wear masks, regardless of community COVID level, unless they are in extended close contact with other people.

Which states recently ended masking requirements?

As COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations drop sharply, state masking requirements are quickly ending.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced on Feb. 17 that the state’s mask mandate has been lifted.

California’s indoor masking requirements for vaccinated people ended on Feb. 15, though unvaccinated people are still required to wear face coverings indoors.

Rhode Island announced an immediate end to mask-or-vaccine requirements for indoor spaces on Feb. 11, the same day Delaware Gov. John Carney lifted the state’s universal mask mandate.

«We’re in a much better place than we were several weeks ago in the middle of the omicron surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations,» Carney, a Democrat, said in a statement.

New York ended its mask mandates for everyone on Feb. 10, though cities, counties and individual businesses can still enforce mask-or-vaccine requirements, but it’s no longer required by state law.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak lifted the state’s public and school mask requirements the same day.

«Masks are still a great tool we have to slow the spread of the virus,» Sisolak said in a statement. «The state will no longer require masks in public places, but employers and organizations — including school districts — may set their own policies.»

Illinois plans to end its statewide indoor mask mandate on Feb. 28, Gov. Bill Pritzer said, citing the state’s sharp drop in hospitalizations.

The Oregon Health Authority and Department of Human Services said it expected an end to masking requirements in the state «no later than March 31.»

Massachusetts currently still requires masks in certain situations — including on public transportation and in health care facilities and nursing homes. On Feb. 15, state public health officials updated their advisory from encouraging everyone to wear masks indoors to recommending face coverings for unvaccinated individuals and vaccinated persons with specific medical conditions.

Washington has already lifted its outdoor mask requirement, and Gov. Jay Inslee said he will end all remaining masking requirements on March 21.

With the end of Illinois’ mask mandate on Feb. 28 and requirements from Oregon and Washington expiring in March, Hawaii is poised to become the only US state requiring masks indoors.

Which states still require masks indoors?

Four US states and four territories currently require masks in indoor settings like restaurants, bars and gyms:

Illinois
Hawaii
Oregon
Washington
District of Columbia
Puerto Rico
US Virgin Islands
Guam

As noted above, Illinois‘ statewide mask rules end Feb. 28, as do similar requirements in Washington, DC.

Washington’s masking requirements for most indoor venues are slated to expire on March 21.

The Oregon Health Authority has said it expects to lift the state’s indoor mask mandate no later than March 31.

California and Connecticut only require unvaccinated people to wear masks indoors.

For more updates, the AARP has a state-by-state rundown of mask mandates across the US.

Which states have school mask mandates?

California
Connecticut
Delaware
Hawaii
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
Oregon
Rhode Island
Washington
District of Columbia
Guam
Puerto Rico
US Virgin Islands

Statewide mask requirements in schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut are ending on Feb. 28.

Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee indicated that indoor masking in public K-12 schools will end on March 4, though local municipalities can implement their own masking policies.

New Jersey announced it would lift mask requirements for students and school employees on March 7.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said school masking requirements will expire on March 21, along with the public masking mandate.

The Oregon Health Authority said the state will stop mask requirements in schools «no later than March 31,» the day they’re slated to end in Delaware schools.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has not ended masking rules for schools, but they have been suspended following a vote by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Pritzker, a Democrat, has indicated he plans to ask the state Supreme Court to review that decision.

In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan has called on the State Board of Education to rescind its mask requirement for all students and staff in public schools. Local school systems, however, can vote to make masks optional once 80% of eligible residents are vaccinated.

The Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities regularly updates its list of states that have mask mandates, as well as those with bans on mask requirements.

What is the federal mask mandate?

In December, due to concerns around the more virulent omicron variant, the Biden administration extended its mask mandate for those traveling by trains, buses and airplanes. Originally intended to expire on Jan. 18, the measure is now set to end on March 18.

The White House has not said if it plans to extend the federal mask mandate further.

What is the World Health Organization’s position on masks?

The World Health Organization’s current guidance is that wearing a well-fitting mask that covers the nose and mouth is recommended indoors in areas with poor ventilation or where social distancing cannot be maintained, «irrespective of vaccination status or history of prior infection.»

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Nov. 22, #425

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Nov. 22, No. 425.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a diverse one today. As a Seattle resident, I got a kick out of the purple category. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Gridiron numbers.

Green group hint: The Garden State.

Blue group hint: Guarding against scores.

Purple group hint: DC, or the Evergreen State.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Football defensive stats.

Green group: Teams that play in New Jersey

Blue group: US soccer goalkeepers.

Purple group: Washington ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is football defensive stats. The four answers are hurry, interception, sack and tackle.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is teams that play in New Jersey. The four answers are Devils, Giants, Gotham and Red Bulls.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is US soccer goalkeepers. The four answers are Howard, Naeher, Scurry and Solo.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Washington ____. The four answers are Capitals, Huskies, Nationals and Spirit.

Technologies

The iPhone 17 Pro’s Cameras Take the Fight to the OnePlus 15, and There Are Bruises

Camera showdown: The OnePlus 15’s camera should have surprised me, but it really didn’t. Meanwhile, Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro keeps on delivering in terms of photography.

The OnePlus 15 impressed my excellent colleague, David Lumb, with its superb battery life and excellent performance, especially for gaming. I wasn’t as thrilled with the cameras in my early testing, but the proof of its photography prowess comes down to how it stacks up against the competition. In this case, the iPhone 17 Pro is one of our favorite phone cameras and indeed one of the best camera phones you can buy in 2025.

For years, OnePlus has partnered with the iconic Swedish camera maker Hasselblad to work on color science and image calibration for OnePlus phones. But that partnership has ended, which puts a lot of pressure on the Chinese company to impress with its camera suite on the OnePlus 15. Throughout all these changes, Apple released the iPhone 17 Pro, which has a brand-new 48-megapixel 4x telephoto camera and carries forward the company’s reputation for excellent photography.

I headed out to the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland, to test both phone cameras in a variety of situations. It’s important to note, though, that what I consider «better» might not be what you agree with. Photography, like all art, is subjective. While, as aprofessional photographer, I prefer more natural, true-to-life tones, you may prefer imagery with more pop and colors. Take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

Note, too, that all images were taken with each phone’s standard camera mode in JPEG format, and all images have been resized using Adobe Lightroom, with no additional edits or sharpening applied. Small print done with, let’s dive in.

Straight off the bat, I’ll admit a small mistake in the photos above. I took this shot using one of the iPhone’s Photographic Styles. I think it was Gold, and so it’s no surprise that it’s given the image a more vibrant, warmer look that suits the scene incredibly well. I only had the style active for this example and the ultrawide version below.

However, I noticed that the iPhone’s exposure is broadly better, while the OnePlus’ software processing had worked so hard in reducing image noise that a lot of the texture in the floor had been lost.

Switch to the ultrawide lenses, and things do change a bit. The iPhone’s exposure above looks preferable to my eye, but the OnePlus’ shot definitely has more detail overall.

This example above is quite classic of the problems I have not just with the OnePlus 15, but also with most of OnePlus’ phones. The image is quite heavily saturated, with an electric-blue sky and vivid greens that look unnatural to me. The iPhone’s image has a much better handle on color here.

My other problem with OnePlus’ phones is how hard they go with their HDR processing, brightening up shadows and pulling back highlights, resulting in images that quite often lack depth and believable contrast. The image above is a prime example where the deep shadows under this bridge have been maintained in the iPhone’s shot, but where the OnePlus 15 has tried to lighten them so much that the image looks very overprocessed.

And to prove it’s not a one-off, this example above is a real low point for the OnePlus. It really tried to eliminate any kind of shadows in this scene, while pulling back the highlights in the sky outside far too much. The image looks fake, overprocessed and exactly what people would think of if you told them a photo was taken on a phone. By taking a far more subtle approach, the iPhone’s image is much more to my liking.

The OnePlus hasn’t gone as hard with its vendetta against shadows in the image above, but it does look like it’s ramped that saturation way up. It’s not that I don’t like vibrant colors — I do — it’s just that I want to add in that saturation should I want to, rather than having it forced on me by default.

The images above show a more muted scene and a good effort from both phones. Although taken just nine seconds apart (I checked the metadata), I do think the sun may have slightly peeked out from behind a cloud a little more in the iPhone’s shot, as the front of the building does look quite a lot brighter. Or maybe the OnePlus is going hard on the HDR again. Who knows? Either way, good details on this image from both phones.

The same scene in ultrawide does arguably look a little muted from the iPhone, at least when compared with the bold blue of the OnePlus’ shot above. Somewhere between the two would be my sweet spot. After I zoomed in on the details, the iPhone’s shot is certainly clearer, but at full screen — or on your Insta feed — that difference is negligible.

That brightness and color difference persists when taking each phone to its maximum default telephoto zoom, so maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with the sun and clouds after all. Colors aside, the iPhone’s shot above is also clearer, and its details look sharp without being overly digitally sharpened. The OnePlus’ image does have something of a «crunchiness» to it from its software processing that I don’t like as much.

Peeping close up at the pixels on each phone’s telephoto zoom shot, I definitely think the OnePlus has gone too hard with its sharpening in the image above of a person in a window.

I’m slightly more torn on this nighttime scene. The OnePlus shot above has yet again gone big on the saturation. Look at the overcooked green on the grass — it looks like it was taken at midday in the spring. The iPhone’s colors look way more natural. However, the OnePlus’ sharpening works in favor at night, delivering a shot with crisper details throughout.

And in ultrawide, I flat out prefer the OnePlus image above. Those vibrant tones look much better here, especially as they make the oranges of the building in the background stand out more.

And if we peep at those pixels again, it’s clear that the details on the OnePlus’ shot (left) are far better. Finally, a win for the OnePlus.

This final indoor low-light scene is a bit more of a mixed bag. The OnePlus’ image above is unquestionably brighter — especially the people nearest the camera — but its noise reduction has gone a bit too hard in some areas, reducing textures on clothing and hair that the iPhone hasn’t done. Overall, though, I’d say this example is a close fight.

iPhone 17 Pro vs. OnePlus 15: Which camera is better?

For me, it’s an easy victory for the iPhone 17 Pro. Almost across the board, its images are more natural looking with realistic colors, saturation levels and exposure. The OnePlus 15’s reliance on heavy-handed image processing has resulted in often garish-looking photos that are almost the opposite of what I look for in my photography. However, as I said at the beginning, that’s just my opinion.

As a photographer, I want my camera — any camera — to be able to capture the best-looking image straight out of the camera that I can then apply more edits to if I want to. But maybe you don’t want to do that and instead want a vibrant, punchy-looking shot that you can immediately share to social media. If so, maybe the OnePlus will be fine for you.

At the end of the day, deciding which phone to buy will come down to more than just the camera, so make sure to read CNET’s in-depth reviews of all of 2025’s best phones to decide which is the one for you.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Nov. 22, #895

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Nov. 22, #895.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle has a fun mix of categories. If you know your unusual foods, you should get the blue group easily enough. If you need help sorting the answers into groups, you’re in the right place. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Not a lot.

Green group hint: Like Popeye.

Blue group hint: Yum!

Purple group hint: Let’s Make a ____.