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In the United States, where the spread of Omicron is fading, more and more states are lifting the mandatory mask requirement.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends wearing a mask, but has hinted that guidelines may change. 



Correspondent Kim Soo-hyung reports from Washington.



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average daily number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States has fallen to the level of 240,000.



It is clear that the decline is clear from the worst situation of over 800,000 people per day.



The number of hospitalized patients also decreased to the level of 110,000.



[Jeff Giants / White House Corona Coordinator: Over the past three weeks, the number of daily confirmed cases has dropped by 65%, and the number of hospitalized patients has also decreased by 40%.]



Nine states, including New York, New Jersey, and California, which maintained strict quarantine policies, have implemented mandatory mask policies. decided to turn it off.



[Governor Kathy Hocal/New York: It is now the right decision to lift the mandatory mask requirement for indoor businesses so that counties, cities, and each business can make their own decisions.]



There are still more infected people than the peak of the delta mutation, so the US Health officials do not believe the situation is reassuring.



However, as the decline is evident, it has hinted at a re-examination of the guidelines for recommending wearing a mask.



[Wollensky / Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): We recommend that you continue to wear a mask in places where the spread is still severe.

We are assessing the serious consequences of the new regulations.]



Analyzing that the worst has passed, there is growing optimism that the coronavirus pandemic could soon become an endemic.