A STATEWIDE MANDATE for the wearing of masks by students and teachers expires on March 11 (Shutterstock).

Will the masks finally be coming off? And if so, when?

On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the statewide mandate that teachers and students wear masks in the classroom would be lifted after 11:59 p.m. on March 11.

Local jurisdictions, however, may add more restrictions – including the wearing of masks – that go beyond the state guidelines.

The latest report from the Orange County Health Care Agency on coronavirus statistics showed a decrease from Friday’s count of 405 confirmed new cases. Today’s number of 991 is a three-day tally, which works out to a daily average of 330.3 cases.

Deaths fell from Friday’s 26 to a three-day average of 13.

Hospitalizations also declined from 295 to 230 and the number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in intensive care units went from 56 to 41.

Since the pandemic began, Orange County has had 538,594 cases, of which 518,009 are considered recovered. The death toll is 6,609.

Across the United States, The New York Times is reporting that – across a 14-day period – new cases are down 62 percent and deaths down by 24 percent. In California, new cases are down 52 percent but deaths have increased to 23 percent over a similar period.