Mask-Wearing Becomes Occasional Feature in US as 2023 Ends

Despite the decline in mask mandates, some Americans continue to wear masks in certain situations for their own reasons.

As 2023 draws to a close, mask-wearing in the US is much more off than on, even as COVID's long tail lingers.
Mask-wearing has become just another thing that simply happens in America, a new way of being that hasn't gone away even if most people aren't doing it regularly.
Mask usage tends to be situational, with some institutions like the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center reinstating mask mandates due to an increase in respiratory viruses.
Once mask mandates started dropping, the demand for masks fell so much so that Project N95, a nonprofit launched during the pandemic to help people find quality masks, announced it would stop sales due to lack of interest.
People are still wearing masks in places like crowded stores or while traveling, not because the government is requiring it, but because they choose to for their own reasons.