Grace Thomas is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but still not ready to take off her mask, especially around the kids at the home day care she runs in Chicago.

But whether the children continue to wear masks remains to be seen after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that healthy people in most areas of the country can safely stop wearing masks as cases continue to fall.

Thomas, 62, plans to ask parents to have their children wear masks to prevent the day care from being a potential source of transmission, but "you can’t make them wear masks if they don’t want to," she said.

Many Americans, including parents of school children, have been clamoring for an end to masking while others remain wary that the pandemic could throw a new curveball. Now, states, cities and school districts are assessing Friday's guidance to determine whether it’s safe to stop mask-wearing — long after others threw out such mandates and many Americans ignored them.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that the statewide school mask mandate will be lifted Monday in response the the new guidance, although Chicago Public Schools officials said they will continue to require masks "to maintain health and safety measures."

Los Angeles on Friday began allowing people who are vaccinated to remove their masks indoors, and Washington, D.C., had already said it would end its mask mandate on Monday. Washington state and Oregon plan to lift indoor mask mandates in late March.

But the issue still remains politically fraught: Florida’s governor on Thursday announced new recommendations called "Buck the CDC" that discourage mask wearing — even though the CDC says the state still has wide areas at high levels of concern.

Christine Bruhn, 79, a retired food science professor at the University of California at Davis, said she’ll only take off her mask if she thinks it’s safe, usually around vaccinated friends. When she’s around a large group of strangers, "I’m wearing a mask," Bruhn said.

"I have been vaccinated and boosted but I don’t want to get sick," said Bruhn, who also said she'll continue crossing the street to keep her distance from people without masks if she sees any of them walking toward her.

American Medical Association President Gerald E. Harmon said Friday that he would continue to wear a mask in indoor public settings and urged "all Americans to consider doing the same" because millions are susceptible to severe illness or too young to be vaccinated.

Still, many people appear to be done with masking.

Steve Kelly, a manager of Kilroy’s Bar & Grill in downtown Indianapolis, said it seems that neither employees nor customers think much about COVID since Indiana lifted a mask mandate for restaurants.

"It doesn’t seem like anybody is wearing masks," he said of his customers, though a few employees still do. And he said people rarely get upset anymore.

"My daughter is 13 and she wears a mask. It’s her choice," he said. "Nobody bothers her about it and she wouldn’t care if they did."

In central Illinois' Effingham County, mask-wearing — and the animosity between those who do and don't — has plummeted, said David Campbell, vice chairman of the county board. He said about the only places he sees people wearing masks are hospitals and doctors’ offices.

"Eighty-five to ninety percent of the people you see on the street, in stores, restaurants, aren’t wearing them," said Campbell, 61. "You used to hear people say, ‘Why aren’t you wearing masks?’ but you don’t anymore."

Under the new guidance, the CDC says people can stop wearing masks if they live in counties where the coronavirus poses a low or medium threat to hospitals — accounting for more than 70% of the U.S. population.

The agency still advises people, including schoolchildren, to wear masks where the risk of COVID-19 is high, in about 37% of U.S. counties, where about 28% of Americans live. And those with COVID-19 symptoms or who test positive should wear masks, the agency said.

The recommendations do not change the requirement to wear masks on public transportation and in airports, train stations and bus stations, but the guidelines for other indoor spaces aren’t binding, meaning cities and institutions may set their own rules.

Two of the nation’s largest teachers unions weighed in, with American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten calling the guidance "long-needed new metrics for a safe off-ramp from universal masking." She said many students and teachers have struggled with COVID-19 restrictions.

But National Education Association President Becky Pringle urged school districts to "act cautiously" and seek input from local educators before making any decisions to end mask-wearing.

Chicago high school teacher Sharon Holmes said she'll continue to wear a mask while teaching and outside the classroom.

"My partner and my daughter both have asthma," said the 53-year-old Holmes. "I just don’t feel safe yet, personally."

___

Webber reported from Fenton, Michigan.

Authorities in Washington say a woman was arrested and charged for allegedly pulling a gun on a convenience store worker after being thrown out of a store for not wearing a mask.

KIRO reported that on Jan. 27, Bellevue police responded to a disturbance at a gas station.

According to the Seattle Times, the employee told police that Angela Marie Nommensen pulled a gun on him after throwing her out for refusing to wear a mask as required by local rules.

The news outlets reported that Nommensen came into the store to get a receipt, but after being told several times to wear a mask, the clerk grabbed her shoulder and coat and escorted her out.

According to the newspaper, when the clerk got back inside the store, surveillance video captured Nommensen pulling a gun and pointing it at him.

She has since been charged with felony harassment, accused of threatening to kill the gas station clerk.

GLOUCESTER, Mass. — After nearly two years of the pandemic, a new art exhibit is hoping to reconnect strangers from behind their masks, at a time when museums are hoping to regain visitors who might have stayed away because of COVID-19.

Oliver Barker is the director of the Cape Ann Museum. Tucked away in the historic fishing town of Gloucester, Massachusetts, it's a place that inspired the works of great artists like Edward Hopper.

"Art has a really central role in all of our lives," Barker said.

Barker is surrounded by a myriad of self-portraits of all shapes and sizes. Looking around the museum it does not take a highly-seasoned art critic to see these portraits were not commissioned by any famous American artist.

Instead, they were created by average, everyday Americans, like Katie Brinkman, who lives in Gloucester with her partner and two stepkids.

"I wanted to play with the materials and the colors, and have fun with the artistic process of it," she said.

The installation is called “Quilted Together: An Exhibit of Community." People from all walks of life were given an 8-by-8 inch sheet of paper, a mirror and some pastels.

Nearly 600 self-portraits were eventually returned and have now been put up as part of the exhibit. Each one is a powerful images of self-expression.

The goal of the exhibit is to bring strangers face back to life. At a time when so many of us are often still hidden behind masks because of COVID-19.

"To me, what is particularly powerful about this is we’ve all gotten use to seeing one another wearing our masks, and we are now having this opportunity to see ourselves fresh," Barker said.

It comes at a time when museums are trying to draw new visitors in. Because of the pandemic, the world’s 100 most-visited art museums saw attendance drop by 77% in 2020. The numbers are rebounding but museums are having to reinvent themselves with new exhibits like this one to excite visitors into returning.

"I look around here and I see a lot of joy around the room and a lot of hope," Barker said.

This exhibit is only temporary. Eventually, these self-portraits will all be returned to the people who painted them. However, Oliver Barker hopes that the lasting impact of this art will be permanent.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released three studies that show that COVID-19 infections were more pervasive in areas that did not require masks in schools.

The studies provide further evidence that the CDC's recommendation that teachers, staff and students wear masks when in school significantly lessen the spread of COVID-19.

One of the studies, which was conducted in Arizona, showed that schools that did not require universal masking were 3.5 times more likely to have a COVID-19 outbreak than schools that did require masks.

A second study found that the case rates of COVID-19 among children were nearly half as low in counties that require masks in schools compared to counties that did not require masks in schools. In counties that required masks in schools, the pediatric case rate was 16.32 per 100,000, compared to 34.85 for counties that did not require masks in schools.

CDC

A third study concluded that 1,801 schools across the country have had to close at some point this school year due to COVID-19 outbreaks. The number of closures was highest in the South, where more governments have taken action to limit the use of masks in schools.

Still, the CDC said Friday that 96% of schools across the country have been able to remain open for in-person learning during the 2021-22 school year.

"These studies continue to demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of CDC's Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools to help districts ensure safer in-person learning and stop the spread of COVID-19," the agency said in a statement. "Promoting vaccination of eligible persons, mask wearing, and screening testing are all proven methods to continue to work towards the end of the COVID-19 pandemic."

LEBANON, Ohio —

A 10-year-old and his family were kicked out of a youth basketball league after his mother, attending the game, refused to wear her mask over her nose.

The family, from Lebanon, wants the league's decision reversed and said the incident never should have gone as far as it did.

Jennifer and Mike Chaney's son Connor plays for Kings Basketball Association, part of the Cincinnati Premier Youth Basketball League. Mike Chaney is the assistant coach for the team, or at least he was one week ago.

Last Sunday, Jennifer Chaney was watching her son's game against Sycamore and livestreaming via Facebook live to family and friends who could not attend due to COVID restrictions.

Chaney said she was wearing her mask below her nose, only covering her mouth when a spectator from the other team approached her and told her to wear her mask correctly. She said a man, who did not identify herself, approached her a few minutes later.

"He goes, 'Well, is there a reason that you're not wearing your mask the right way?' I said, 'There actually is. I have a medical reason for that,' and he said, 'Well, what is that?' And I said, 'Well, I don't have to tell you that,'" Jennifer Chaney said.

She said the man left her alone but spectators from the opposing team continued to yell at her during the first half of the game to put her mask over her nose. She said she was also practicing social distancing and did not feel she was endangering any other guests.

At halftime, the league president Ben Goodyear showed up.

"Ma'am you need to leave please," he Jennifer Chaney. "Take your kid with you and leave please."

He then told her, "You're not wearing your mask. I'm the league president."

"I don't give a s*** who you are," she replied.

Chaney's Facebook live video continued as she left the gym.

You can hear fans yelling at her for continuing to wear her mask under her nose.

"You got a power problem," Jennifer Chaney said. "I ain't bothering anyone down there. Yeah you do. You got a power problem. And you don't even know if I have a medical condition, dumb a**."

At the same time, the Chaneys said Goodyear instructed Mike and Conner to leave the court and told them they were being kicked out of the league.

"We had to get Connor off the court so emotionally, he's very upset," Mike Chaney said. "He starts crying, not understanding why and I'm honestly not understanding why either."

Connor's parents want the league to reverse its decision on expelling the family from the league and allow Connor to finish the season.

The family said Connor has been watching the games virtually at home and wants to play with his friends again.

The family also provided WLWT with a physician's note, attesting to Jennifer Chaney having a medical condition that exempts her from wearing a mask. She said she has been treated for the condition for several years.

The league's COVID-19 rules, listed online, clearly state that spectators are required to wear face coverings. The league president told WLWT the league's rules "do not grant medical exemptions."

The state's order on youth sports, released by the Ohio Department of Health, reads that spectators are required to wear face coverings but individuals can be exempt due to medical conditions.

Cincinnati Premier Youth Basketball League COVID-19 rules:

"Everyone entering the gym is required to wear a cloth face covering and follow social distancing guidelines at all times. Anyone not wearing a face covering will not be allowed in the gym. Anyone who removes their face covering will be required to leave the facility immediately. Players can remove their mask for warmups and the game.

"Plastic masks or face shields are not permitted."

Statement provided by president Ben Goodyear:

"In accordance with the State of Ohio Department of Health Covid-19 Sports Order, the CPYBL has established clear Covid-19 guidelines for all participants, including coaches, players, parents/spectators. The guidelines require all game attendees to wear a mask at all times. In this case, the parent was given multiple opportunities to wear her mask but she refused. Therefore, she was asked to leave the gym. At no time, did she ever alert gym or league personnel that she had a medical condition. However, league rules do not grant medical exemptions. We did this because the CPYBL takes the safety of players, coaches, officials, and fans very seriously. To be clear, her ejection from the gym was the result of her refusal to wear a mask. Her expulsion from the league was the result of her multiple violations of the CPYBL Parent Code of Conduct."

Excerpt from the Ohio Department of Health's Sept. 25 order which provides requirements for youth, collegiate, amateur, club and professional sports:

"Spectators must wear face coverings at all times except for one of the reasons stated in the Director's Order for Facial Coverings throughout the State of Ohio, signed July 23, 2020, or as it may thereafter be amended. The Order's exemptions include, but are not limited to: 1. The individual is under 10 years of age; 2. The individual has a medical condition, including respiratory conditions that restrict breathing, mental health conditions, or disabilities that contraindicate the wearing of a facial covering."

Video above: Does Double Masking Help Stop The Spread?Ford Motor Company is best known for its cars, but in the COVID-19 pandemic, the manufacturer is branching out.Ford has received patent-pending approval for a new, clear respirator mask, the company announced Tuesday, one they expect to work just as well as an N95."One of the things that's missing during the pandemic is the power of a smile," said Jim Baumbick, a vice president at Ford, in a statement. "This clear respirator promises to improve interactions between neighbors, at the store and for those who have hearing impairments."For the hearing-impaired, face masks both hide the lips and muffle the speaker's voice. The transparent respirators will allow for better communication, Ford said."The covered masks cut down the volume level by 10 decibels," Dr. Sheri Mello, an audiologist in Raleigh, North Carolina, told CNN last May. "And that's a lot. You're cutting a quarter of the volume."At the same time, N95 masks are considered the best masks to use in the pandemic, as they filter out 95% of particles. Some experts have even called for a nationwide rollout of the masks, but there's been a supply shortage, making them difficult for nonhealth care professionals to obtain. The company is currently testing the product and hopes the respirators will be available this spring.

Lakota students returned to school Tuesday. Despite having to wear masks, many kids said they were happy to be back in class with friends."I'm feeling excited but a little nervous because I've been in VLO for over a year," said Bryce Jones, a Lakota East student. Jones has asthma, so last year, virtual learning was a better option for him. Now, he's vaccinated which sets his father, Careem Jones' mind at ease."It's been tough being home, so we felt its time to integrate with students," Careem Jones said. Adam Douglas isn't just new to Lakota East, he's also new to the country. He just moved here from Jordan a few weeks ago."Feeling good, something new in my life," Douglas said. What's not new is Lakota's mandatory mask policy."When they said we were going to have masks mandatory, I'm like, 'Well, we did it last year and you get used to it, so you can do it again,'" said Lakota East student Kaitlin Dwomoh. Lakota superintendent Matt Miller told WLWT on Tuesday if COVID cases stay low during the next few weeks, the mask mandate could be reversed, but students aren't banking on it just yet."I feel like we're going to have masks for a while because COVID is just going to keep ramping up. This is not going to be our last variant, and I kind of want people to get used to being close but still far away enough that we don't have to worry," Dwomoh said.

SUTTER CREEK, Calif. —

A California elementary school teacher was allegedly assaulted by a parent during an argument over their child having to wear a mask.

The incident happened Wednesday on campus, about an hour after the first day of school came to a close at Sutter Creek Elementary School.

"The teacher was bleeding," Amador County Unified School District Superintendent Torie Gibson told sister station KCRA. "He had some lacerations on his face, some bruising on his face, and a pretty good knot on the back of his head."

Gibson said the male parent verbally assaulted the school's principal when his daughter walked out of a school building wearing a mask. When a male teacher stepped in, the situation escalated and a physical altercation happened, resulting in injuries. The teacher was treated at the hospital and released Wednesday night.

According to Gibson, the parent was frustrated with the school's indoor mask requirement for everyone while students are on campus. The district's policy also says teachers who have proved they are fully vaccinated can take off their mask indoors when students are not present. The district's policy is in line with the indoor mask mandate by the state health department.

A letter Gibson sent to families said that "assaulting a staff member will never be tolerated on any school campus" and called for people to "take a breath, pause, listen and walk away if necessary."

Read the letter to Amador County, California, families about the mask incident here

"Remember, we are not the ones making the rules/mandates, we are the ones required to follow/enforce them if we want to keep our doors open and students at school five days a week," the letter said.

Gibson said she has received some angry emails since sending out the letter.

Parents who spoke with KCRA Thursday on campus said they support the teacher who was assaulted and are upset a parent used violence on a school campus.

"When it bleeds out onto and into locations where our children are, that's not okay," one parent said.

The superintendent says the parent is not allowed on school property, but the student is. She says a police report was filed with Sutter Creek police, and the district is working with the district attorney's office.

"If it's appropriate to press charges, we will do that," Gibson said. "If they tell me it's not appropriate, I will trust them."

CINCINNATI —

Thursday is a big day for students as a new school year starts for some in several local school districts.

It's exciting, but uncertain as COVID-19 protocols continue to be adjusted.

Some schools are still deciding mask and COVID-19 protocols and on Wednesday night, the Forest Hills School District made a decision that came with cheers and jeers from parents.

The meeting was full and at one point, a board member cast the incorrect vote twice.

Parents appeared to have had enough before it ever really started.

"I just felt like (Gov. Mike) DeWine lifted that and said we could take them off and I don't want to put it back on and I don't want my children to put it back on either," parent Shawna Myers said.

Parents, students, and community members all stood outside Nagel Middle School greeting school leaders with signs against masks.

Their signs were on display during a meeting of the Forest Hills School Board, where masks were the task at hand.

"I believe that students should wear masks for their protection and for the protection of others," board member Dee Dee Choice said.

"I don't understand why we would do things differently when our goal shouldn't be to experiment. Our goal should be to make sure every child has the ability to learn in person," board member Dr. Leslie Rasmussen said.

"They struggle to learn when they can't fundamentally interact with each other. So to mask them out of fear of what might happen is outrageous," board Member Elizabeth Maier said.

At the end of the night, the board decided for elementary school students, masks will be required in instructional settings, but not in hallways, restrooms or at recess.

For secondary students, masks are optional.

The big concerns appeared to surrounded quarantines and contact tracing.

Members said last year, about 400 children were out with COVID-19 cases leading to about 4,000 in quarantine who did not get sick.

Parents in masks also took part in the meeting, supporting the mask effort.

Unfortunately, we were unable to catch up with them after the meeting.

They appeared to support any mask policy, with one woman saying she did not want her children near unmasked kids.

But those who were protesting said no mask policy is the right policy.

"I don't believe it'll have any effect at controlling the spread. I think the cases will continue to rise in the cold and flu season. We'll have another failed mitigation strategy," parent Scott Nelson said.

As part of the motion the board passed, the school district will revisit mask protocols for schools on Sept. 13 basing any changes on data and the situation at the time.

The Forest Hills School District includes Anderson and Turpin high schools and Ayer, Maddux, Mercer, Sherwood, Summit and Wilson elementary schools.

It serves more than 7,300 students in Anderson Township and the Village of Newtown.

New health guidelines in place for Ohio schools may mean avoiding quarantine for those students who have been exposed to COVID-19 – but they'll need to wear a mask and follow other recommendations.

Cincinnati Public Schools Board of Education voted to require masks be worn in all district buildings for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year at their meeting Wednesday night. Other local districts have yet to announce their plans.

New guidance from the Ohio Department of Health recommends:

• Masking for all students and staff regardless of vaccination status
• At least three feet of physical distance between desks
• Strategies to increase ventiliation
• Cleaning protocols
• Identification of individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms

“I think anytime we make a decision that keeps kids in school in a safe way, that is a game-changer,” Mason City Schools superintendent & CEO Jonathan Cooper said.

Quarantine was difficult for students last year, Cooper added, but new state guidance would allow students to stay in school if they’re masking up.

“So, this idea of if you’re wearing a mask you can stay in school is such a big request for us because I think it will encourage more people to wear a mask to keep each other safe as we come back to school together in a week,” he said.

Cooper said about 95% of teachers and staff in Mason are already vaccinated. There are also strong vaccination rates in neighborhoods around the schools – about 70% have at least one dose.

“They are using that to try and probably force schools, administrators, board members to make masks mandatory across the board this year,” said Shannon Wintheiser, the parent of an elementary school student in Sycamore Community Schools.

She said she doesn’t believe masks in schools are healthy for young children, and is leery of the new state guidance.

“Saying that if you’re all masked nobody has to quarantine, nobody has to miss school, and it’s kind of strong-arming the districts, I think, that haven’t made that decision yet or have perhaps made the decision to be optional. Trying to strong-arm them back into giving them another reason to try to do a mandated mask.”

CHICAGO, Ill. — Canceled last year, Lollapalooza made its return this week. The annual four-day music festival is expected to draw 100,000 people. It’s one of the first giant events in the country since the pandemic began. More are planned in the coming months including Bonaroo, the Governor’s Ball, and Summerfest.

Despite health checks, some in public health are watching this event closely, concerned a head-on collision with the delta variant could turn the outdoor concert event into a super spreader event.

Still, following months of isolation, tens of thousands have flocked to Chicago’s Grant Park to escape the pandemic and enjoy outdoor music.

“It's my second time out at Lollapalooza,” said Kevin Metras, a Lollapalooza attendee. “I'm so excited. It's nice, hot. You know, I'm trying to sweat and stay hydrated.”

It’s the first major music festival in the U.S. since the outbreak began. But it comes at a time when COVID-19 cases are surging in parts of the country.

“You know, I got my vaccine, I'm young, I'm healthy, I think I should be OK,” said Ishi Nagpal, a Lollapalooza attendee who chose not to mask.

Yet, guidelines to attend Lolla were recently loosened.

At first, proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test 24 hours before entering each day was required. That was downgraded to within 72 hours of arrival.

“No, we're all going to die either way,” said Lollapalooza attendee Kailee Parker

Masks are mandated for all unvaccinated attendees, but it’s unclear how that’s going to be enforced once you get past the gates.

“Yeah. You know, probably when I’m within the groups of people I probably might wear it a little bit,” said Metras, who is wearing a mask. “It just makes us all feel good. I'm vaccinated but, you know, gotta take that extra step sometimes.”

“The Lollapalooza organizers haven't really made good on their promise to use electronic apps to track vaccination and testing. And so far, ticket holders haven't had to upload those things,” said Dr. Emily Landon, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Chicago Medicine.

A busy Fourth of July weekend resulted in a cluster of COVID-19 cases in Provincetown, Massachusetts. There were more than 830 cases. About 74% of them were reportedly breakthrough infections among vaccinated visitors who became symptomatic.

“I can't promise that there won't be any COVID cases associated with Lolla when you're having this many folks who are coming through,” said Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. “Almost certainly there will be some cases.”

City public health officials admit there are risks of COVID-19 spreading even outdoors at massive gatherings like Lollapalooza, but remained confident that they’ve taken proper precautions.

“I'm certainly hopeful that we won't see a significant problem. And I certainly know we're being a lot more responsible than many other settings,” said Arwady.

But unlike barriers and fencing, what happens on these grounds can’t be contained.

“The one thing that will make Lollapalooza into a really dangerous event for the rest of this country will be if people leave Lollapalooza, go back to their unvaccinated communities and ignore the symptoms that they have afterward,” said Landon.

Some infectious disease experts recommend getting tested after attending massive outdoor festivals, especially if you experience any symptoms.

“We're planning on getting tested a few days after just in case, you know, you can never be too careful,” said Cassie Cabanas, a Lollapalooza attendee who is wearing a mask even though she is vaccinated.

But some experts say there’s only one real way to side-step the threat.

“If you don't want to get COVID, don't go to Lollapalooza,” said Landon.

Experts say contact tracing across state lines will be key in assessing the ripple effect of mass gatherings like Lollapalooza. The results could also set the stage for health protocols at other major festivals.

AUSTIN, Texas —

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to sue Austin and Travis County leaders over their coronavirus mask requirements.

In a letter sent to Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Travis County Judge Andy Brown, Paxton said he would sue unless local mask mandates in place were rescinded by Wednesday, March 10, at 6 p.m. CST.

But both leaders said they wouldn't back down on their requirement. Adler told CNN Thursday morning, "I would anticipate to be sued today."

"We promised the people in this community a long time ago that we would be driven by the data and the doctors and we're going to make good on that promise for however long we can," Adler said. "The science and the data are very clear that the single most important thing we can all be doing at this point is wearing masks."

Through an executive order that took effect Wednesday, Texas lifted its statewide mask mandate and any capacity restrictions on businesses across the state. The order states residents cannot face penalties for not wearing a face mask.

But a Tuesday statement from the city of Austin said health authority rules for both the city and Travis County that require people to wear a face covering when outside of their residence will remain in effect. Austin is the Travis County seat.

"While vaccine administration is underway, we are still not in a place of herd immunity and need people to wear face coverings in public and around non-household members so we can avoid another surge of cases," Dr. Mark Escott, interim Austin-Travis County Health Authority, said in a statement.

The existing city enforcement rules say people who knowingly violate a health authority rule could face a fine of up to $2,000. CNN has reached out to both the city of Austin and Travis County for further clarification on enforcement and penalties.

'This is just not the time'

In his letter, Paxton said the decision to require masks or impose limits is up to businesses and "does not rest with jurisdictions like the City of Austin or Travis County."

"City/county leaders must not be thinking clearly. Maybe it's oxygen deprivation from quintuple-masking," Paxton wrote in a tweet accompanying the letter. "Travis County and Austin have a few hours to comply with state law or I'll sue them."

As of this writing, CNN has not received formal notice that Paxton has followed through on his threat.

Adler said that while there has been an improvement in COVID-19 numbers in Austin, it has taken a lot of work by the community to drive down cases and they're hoping not to lose that progress now.

"It's just not the time. We're so close. It's not the time to take risks. It's not the time to do this two days before spring break starts. It's not the time to do this when we see that there are new variants that are coming into our community," Adler said Thursday. "This is just not the time to put at risk the opening of schools and the further opening of businesses in a way that can be sustained."

In a separate interview Wednesday evening, Brown told CNN he wasn't deterred by the state attorney general's threat.

"My biggest concern right now is we've only vaccinated 9% of our population here in Travis County," Brown said.

Divisions between local and state leaders

The battle over the mandates represents a widespread challenge across the country — divisions between local and state leaders on what public health measures should stay in place. And with more governors announcing this month they're easing restrictions, that gap in some cases has only widened.

In Mississippi, after Gov. Tate Reeves announced last week he was lifting county mask mandates and allowing businesses to operate at full capacity, some local leaders expressed disagreement. Among them was Greenville Mayor Errick Simmons, who said the governor's decision created "unnecessary risk" for communities.

"It is challenging in some of these states — in Texas and Mississippi and so on — where at the local level, even though the mask mandate has been lifted, public health is still messaging the importance of mask-wearing to prevent spread of the disease," Lori Tremmel Freeman, CEO of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, told CNN Wednesday.

"We're kind of at odds with one another in terms of state to local in some cases," she added.

It's happened before. Over the summer, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp sued Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms over the city's mask mandate. Kemp argued the mandate violated his emergency order prohibiting local action from being more prohibitive than the state's requirements.

In August, the Kemp announced he was withdrawing the lawsuit.

A man accused of raping a 10-year-old girl in 2018 was found guilty on Tuesday.

Investigators arrested 28-year-old Leonardo Ramirez, of King City, California, after DNA taken from his face mask linked him to the 2018 rape of a girl under 14 years old.

A jury found Ramirez guilty of the sexual assault of his distant relative.

"He showed up and he was wearing a mask but they offered him a fresh mask and he accepted that mask and then subsequently discarded the mask he had been wearing into a bag which had been pre-staged," said Boyd.

The used mask was then submitted to the Department of Justice for DNA analysis.

"And subsequent to that analysis we were able to obtain a positive match from the sample in that mask and the sample initially obtained during the investigation two years ago," Boyd.

Soon after the results came back, Ramirez was arrested.

Ramirez will be sentenced at a later date.

Video above is from a previous broadcast.

Video above — Dr. Fauci: Be sure to get 2nd dose of vaccines

Dr. Anthony Fauci says federal guidance on wearing face coverings indoors may change soon.

Sunday on ABC News, Fauci was asked whether it's time to start relaxing indoor masks requirements. Fauci replied, "I think so, and I think you're going to probably be seeing that as we go along, and as more people get vaccinated."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be updating its guidance almost in real time, as more Americans get vaccinated, said Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The CDC relaxed its guidance last month on wearing masks outdoors, but still advises both vaccinated and unvaccinated people to still wear masks in indoor public spaces, such as a mall, movie theater or museum.

"We do need to start being more liberal, as we get more people vaccinated," he added.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Sunday face mask requirements should be relaxed now that the COVID-19 risk is dropping.

"Certainly outdoors, we shouldn't be putting limits on gatherings anymore," Gottlieb said. "The states where prevalence is low, vaccination rates are high, and we have good testing in place, we're identifying infections, I think we could start lifting these restrictions indoors as well, on a broad basis."

Lifting pandemic restrictions when they are no longer necessary will make it easier for public health officials to reimplement them if cases rise again, such as a potential winter surge, Gottlieb said.

Fauci makes a Mother's Day prediction

The U.S. probably will be back to normal by next Mother's Day, if enough people get vaccinated against COVID-19, Fauci said on ABC News.

"I hope that next Mother's Day, we're going to see a dramatic difference than what we're seeing right now," he said. "I believe that we will be about as close to back to normal as we can."

There are some conditions, he noted.

"We've got to make sure that we get the overwhelming proportion of the population vaccinated. When that happens, the virus doesn't really have any place to go," he said. "You're not going to see a surge. You're not going to see the kinds of numbers we see now."

White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients told CNN Sunday that the country is "turning the corner" on the pandemic — but stressed the importance of all Americans getting vaccinated.

He noted that President Joe Biden set a goal of having 70% of adults vaccinated by July 4.

"We're at 58% today. So we've got a path ahead of us," he said.

Zients said that despite some mask fatigue, Americans should continue to follow the science when it comes to wearing masks indoors, and wait for new CDC guidance before changing their habits.

"We all want to get back to a normal lifestyle. I think we're on the path to do that, but stay disciplined, and let's take advantage of the new privileges of being vaccinated and not wearing masks outdoors for example, unless you're in a crowded place," he said.