Coronavirus Watch: 4 states have roll back mask mandates

Four states have announced rolling back mask mandates over the last month – including Mississippi, Texas, Montana and Iowa – and more are expected to do so in the near future. 

Here's what that could mean for all of us.

(Remember, 10 states never implemented a general mask mandate in the first place, according to AARP.)

It's Thursday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news you need to know:

• Even as some states roll back mask mandates, some of the nation’s largest retailers including Kroger, Macy’s, Starbucks and Target are keeping their mandates.
• New York, one of the first states to implement travel restrictions on domestic visitors last spring, took another step toward relaxing its COVID-19 policies by lifting the quarantine and COVID-19 testing restrictions on people who have been vaccinated within 90 days of their second inoculation.
• Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has ordered all schools must return to in-person learning this month, issuing an executive order Wednesday that calls for all schools to reopen in-person learning by March 15, or after spring break.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday delayed announcing guidelines that would ease restrictions for fully vaccinated Americans, according to media reports. The agency’s guidelines were expected to align with comments made this week by Dr. Anthony Fauci, who suggested "small gatherings" indoors among vaccinated people were probably safe.
• Senators were awaiting a final price tag on President Joe Biden's COVID-19 stimulus plan Thursday before starting debate on the measure that Democrats are eager to pass by the end of next week.  
• An outbreak of COVID-19 at the Vermont state prison has grown to 100 inmates and eight staff members, the Department of Corrections said.
• The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits edged higher last week to 745,000, a sign that many employers continue to cut jobs despite a drop in confirmed viral infections and evidence that the overall economy is improving.

Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 28.7 million COVID-19 cases and 518,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 115.3 million cases and more than 2.5 million deaths. Nearly 16% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and more than 8% of people have received both doses, according to the CDC.

See the numbers in your area here, check out where cases are rising here, and see how many vaccines your state has received here.

– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck