New Jersey governor ending school mask mandate

• New confirmed cases and hospitalizations from the virus in New Jersey have rapidly decreased since peaking in early January, according to data from the state's coronavirus dashboard.
• Murphy said the new policy will begin on March 7 but noted that it will not change the ability of individual districts to maintain and enforce mask mandates.

What they're saying: "We are not going to manage COVID to zero," Murphy said in a tweet. "We have to learn how to live with COVID as we move from a pandemic to an endemic phase of this virus."

• "We are optimistic that given the decreased severity of this new variant, and the continued increase in vaccinations, that we are finally nearing this inflection point," he added.

The big picture: Several states across the country have reevaluated their mask mandates in recent weeks.

• Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R) issued an executive order ending the state's school mask mandate, though the order is now being challenged in court by at least seven school boards.

• Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) rescinded the state's mask mandate last month, allowing school districts to set their masking policies.
• Delaware Gov. John Carney (D) said Monday that the state's mask mandates for indoor public settings and schools will end over the next two months.
• The governors of New York and Connecticut also recently said they may soon reevaluate masks mandates.

Go deeper: The kids' vaccine dilemma

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.