Hawaii becomes only U.S. state sticking to mask mandate

NEW YORK, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Hawaii is the lone remaining U.S. state sticking with indoor mask mandate as U.S. COVID-19 cases drop, The New York Times reported on Tuesday.

Hawaii, which has had the country's fewest cases per capita over the course of the pandemic, has seen its daily average of new cases plummet about 70 percent over the past two weeks, the report said.

"I am working with the Department of Health to determine when the time is right for Hawaii to lift the indoor mask mandate," Governor David Ige told a local TV news station.

"Hawaii ranks second (to the last) in the nation when it comes to COVID deaths, in part because of the indoor mask requirement and other measures that have proven successful in protecting our community from this potentially deadly virus," he added.