COVID-19 updates: US cases at lowest point since Christmas

Oregon will lift general mask requirements for indoor public places no later than March 31, state health officials announced Monday.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, scientists expect that about 400 or fewer people would be hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide by late March, which is the level of hospitalizations Oregon experience before the highly contagious omicron variant began to spread. Mask mandates for Oregon schools will be lifted on March 31 to give school districts time to prepare.

However, the Oregon Health Authority said the state needs to keep mask requirements in place for now as COVID-19 hospitalizations crest and the health care system struggles to treat high numbers of severely ill patients.

The Oregon Health Authority has filed a new rule with the Oregon Secretary of State to require people to wear masks while indoors in public places. The new rule replaces a temporary one that expired Monday.

State health officials will consider lifting the general indoor mask requirement earlier than March 31 if hospitalizations decline to the levels projected by the end of March sooner than expected. Once the mandates are lifted, employers and businesses may continue to establish their own mask requirements to protect employees and customers, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

California’s indoor mask mandate will expire Feb. 15, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Twitter Monday.

He said the state’s COVID-19 case rate has decreased by 65% since their omicron peak, and hospitalizations have stabilized.

"Our statewide indoor mask requirement will expire on 2/15. Unvaccinated people will still need to wear masks indoors. Get vaccinated. Get boosted," he wrote.

After the U.S. reported an unprecedented number of new pediatric COVID-19 infections last month, updated data released on Monday shows new cases among children have dropped for the second week in a row.

Nearly 632,000 kids tested positive for COVID-19 last week, a huge drop from the peak level of 1,150,000 reported the week ending Jan. 20, according to a new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association.

However, the organizations warn that pediatric cases remain "extremely high" and are still double the level seen in the summer delta surge.

AAP and CHA noted there is an "urgent" need to collect more age-specific data to assess the severity of illness related to new variants as well as potential longer-term effects. 

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday that he recommends ending the statewide mask mandate as of Feb. 28.

Beginning in March, the decision on masks in schools will go to superintendents and mayors based on the individual needs of towns, he said.

This comes hours after New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said his requirement to wear face masks in schools will end on March 7.

The CDC said it continues to recommend masks for all students 2 and older, regardless of vaccination status.