���ϳԹ���

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced on Wednesday that all remaining COVID-19 restrictions in the state will be lifted starting Thursday. “We know hard-working Georgians cannot endure another year like that last. That is why beginning tomorrow we are loosening the remaining restrictions on our economy here in Georgia,” Kemp said in a video statement Wednesday. (Lonas, 4/7)

North Dakota’s Republican-led Senate endorsed a measure Wednesday that would prohibit the state from mandating face coverings. Senators approved the bill 30-17, but amended it to give local governments, schools and employers the option of requiring masks. (4/7)

If you don't want a COVID-19 shot, several Republican lawmakers want to make sure you don't face any penalties because of that decision. House Bill 248, introduced Wednesday, would allow Ohioans to decline a COVID-19 shot – or any other vaccine – because of religious reasons, medical reasons or natural immunity. The proposal would prevent anyone who chooses not to be vaccinated from facing discrimination, being denied services or forced to follow a requirement that they wear masks or other penalties financial or social from businesses, schools or government. (Balmert, 4/7)

Although a new Utah law means mask mandates will end statewide this weekend, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said nothing will change in the capital. HB294, which lifts mask requirements Saturday, allows counties to extend their own local mandates. The Salt Lake County Council opted Wednesday not to do so. But Mendenhall said the law does not apply to her own local authority and emergency powers. She issued a proclamation extending the current mask mandate, in line with her numerous other declared local emergencies since March 2020 that are related to the pandemic. “This proclamation does not conflict with state’s so-called COVID ‘endgame’ bill,” Mendenhall said at a news conference. “As a city, we will be guided by public health data. Protecting the health of our residents will always be my highest priority.” (Larsen, 4/7)

A day after saying Pasco County Schools would not follow the county's lead by removing a requirement to wear masks, Superintendent Kurt Browning reversed track Tuesday and said masks in schools may soon be voluntary. Browning told the school board at a meeting that once Gov. Ron DeSantis' order declaring a state of emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic expires, mask wearing will be optional. (Schreiner, 4/7)

News that California will finally emerge from nearly all pandemic restrictions on June 15 included one glaring exception: The face coverings that have hidden our grins and grimaces for the better part of a year are not going away. Given a chance to provide a glimmer of hope for ending California’s mask mandate, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state’s health secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly, firmly decided not to go there, saying there was no end date goal just yet. (Vaziri, 4/7)

Returning to a maskless Disney World may not yet be on the horizon, but new changes make taking off your mask easier for guests. Starting Thursday, visitors at Walt Disney World Resort are permitted to remove their mask to take outdoor photos, though it comes with a few rules. (4/7)

Oregon said Tuesday it won’t approve widely adopted technology that would allow smartphone users to be notified if they are potentially exposed to COVID-19, saying the health authority has “all available resources” assigned to vaccine management. The announcement ended suspense over a project first announced six months ago but repeatedly delayed, with limited explanation. Oregon is one of just four states along or west of the Continental Divide that hasn’t adopted the technology. (Theen, 4/6)