Technologies

School Mask Mandates: Only 2 US States Still Require Masks in the Classroom

And with Washington ending school masking on March 21, there’s just one holdout without a projected end date.

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

With school mask mandates expiring in California and Oregon last week, Hawaii remains the only state in the union to still require face coverings in the classroom to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Hawaii only recently announced its mask requirement in indoor venues — bars, restaurants, movie theaters and the like — will end on March 25.

«It’s taken the entire community to get to this point — with lowered case counts and hospitalizations,» Hawaii Gov. David Inge tweeted on March 8. «We’re also better at treating people who are infected, have boosters, & the CDC rates our COVID19 community level ‘low.'»

Read on to learn more about mask requirements, how guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shifted and more.

Which states have school masking requirements?

Only Washington state and Hawaii still require students, staff and visitors to wear face masks in public schools.

Washington, DC, officially ended its school mask mandate on March 8.

California schools no longer require masks as of March 11 — the same day that Oregon‘s mask mandate expired. Individual California school districts can now determine their own guidelines: San Diego Unified, for example, announced that masks will be required until April 4.

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

Hawaii is now the only state without a projected end date for school mask requirements, although officials lifted an outdoor mask mandate on school campuses last week.

Which states still require masks indoors?

Indoor masking requirements in Washington and Oregon expired on March 11. Hawaii‘s mask mandate for indoor settings will end on March 25.

Connecticut still maintains an indoor mask requirement for unvaccinated residents.

What are the CDC’s mask recommendations?

The CDC updated its mask recommendations in early March: While it still recommends people in areas with high levels of COVID-19 transmission wear masks indoors, it’s taking a more «holistic» approach that evaluates new infections and hospitalizations, as well as ICU bed occupancy rates.

You can look up your own county’s community COVID level with the CDC’s COVID-19 County Check tool.

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.

What is the federal mask mandate?

The US national mask mandate requires those traveling by train, bus, airplane or other public transportation to wear masks while doing so. The rules went into effect with an executive order from President Joe Biden in January 2021. The mandate was originally supposed to expire on Jan. 18, 2022 — it was extended to March 18 during the omicron surge and now has been extended again to April 18.

In a joint statement with the Transportation Security Administration, the CDC announced that it would use the next month to «work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor.»

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

Verum Messenger: Don’t follow the future. Define it

In a world where information defines influence, Verum Messenger is building a new architecture of digital communication — intelligent, secure, and ready for tomorrow. Here, technology serves not limitations, but possibilities.

Not being part of change. Leading it. Verum Messenger — the future that speaks first.

Technologies

Verum Finance: Stop Spending Months Opening a Bank Account

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Technologies

Google races to put Gemini at the center of Android before Apple’s AI reboot

Google is using its latest Android rollout to position Gemini as the AI layer across phones, Chrome, laptops and cars.

Google is using its latest Android rollout to make Gemini less of a chatbot and more of an operating layer across the phone, browser, car and laptop, just weeks before Apple is expected to show its own Gemini-powered Apple Intelligence reboot at WWDC.
Ahead of its Google I/O developer conference next week, the company previewed a number of Android updates, including AI-powered app automation, a smarter version of Chrome on Android, new tools for creators, a redesigned Android Auto experience, and a sweeping set of new security features.
Alphabet is counting on Gemini to help Google compete directly with OpenAI and Anthropic in the market for artificial intelligence models and services, while also serving as the AI backbone across its expansive portfolio of products, including Android. Meanwhile, Gemini is powering part of Apple’s new AI strategy, giving Google a role in the iPhone maker’s reset even as it races to prove its own version of personal AI on the phone is further along.
Sameer Samat, who oversees Google’s Android ecosystem, told CNBC that Google is rebuilding parts of Android around Gemini Intelligence to help users complete everyday tasks more easily.
“We’re transitioning from an operating system to an intelligence system,” he said.
As part of Tuesday’s announcements. Google said Gemini Intelligence will be able to move across apps, understand what’s on the screen and complete tasks that would normally require a user to jump between multiple services. That means Android is moving beyond the traditional assistant model, where users ask a question and get an answer, and acting more like an agent.
For instance, Google says Gemini can pull relevant information from Gmail, build shopping carts and book reservations. Samat gave the example of asking Gemini to look at the guest list for a barbecue, build a menu, add ingredients to an Instacart list and return for approval before checkout.
A big concern surrounding agentic AI involves software taking action on a user’s behalf without permissions. Samat said Gemini will come back to the user before completing a transaction, adding, “the human is always in the loop.”
Four months after announcing its Gemini deal with Google, Apple is under pressure to show a more capable version of Apple Intelligence, which has been a relative laggard on the market. Apple has long framed privacy, hardware integration and control of the user experience as its advantages.
Google’s Android push is designed to show it can bring AI deeper into the device experience while still giving users control over what Gemini can see, where it can act and when it needs confirmation.
The app automation features will roll out in waves, starting with the latest Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones this summer, before expanding across more Android devices, including watches, cars, glasses and laptops later this year.
The company is also redesigning Android Auto around Gemini, turning the car into another major surface for its assistant. Android Auto is in more than 250 million cars, and Google says the new release includes its biggest maps update in a decade and Gemini-powered help with tasks like ordering dinner while driving.
Alphabet’s AI strategy has been embraced by Wall Street, which has pushed the company’s stock price up more than 140% in the past year, compared to Apple’s roughly 40% gain. Investors now want to see how Gemini can become more central to the products people use every day.
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