Experts open the door to lifting last mask mandates

As the spike in coronavirus cases caused by the omicron variant wanes, some experts say it is time to start lifting more restrictions, setting up a heated debate, particularly over mask mandates in schools.

People are exhausted with the pandemic after roughly two years, and health advocates warn that pandemic rules cannot last forever.

“We cannot remain in a perpetual state of emergency,” said Leana Wen, a public health professor at George Washington University. “People burn out.”