Wyoming will remove its statewide mask requirement and allow bars, restaurants, theaters and gyms to resume normal operations on March 16, Gov. Mark Gordon announced Monday.

Gordon says the state has seen a declining number of active COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and has had significant success rolling out the vaccine.

"I thank the people of Wyoming for their commitment to keeping one another safe throughout this pandemic," said Gordon. "It is through their efforts that we have kept our schools and businesses operating and our economy moving forward."

MORE: CDC: Fully-Vaccinated People Can Gather Indoors Without Masks

"I ask all Wyoming citizens to continue to take personal responsibility for their actions and stay diligent as we look ahead to the warmer months and to the safe resumption of our traditional spring and summer activities," he added.

Gordon continues to encourage Wyomingites to wear masks in indoor public spaces and to follow the best practices adopted by any business they visit to slow the spread of the virus.

He says the face covering protocol will remain in place in K-12 schools as a safety measure to ensure that classroom learning, and all student activities can continue to occur safely.

"Wyoming is one of the few states in the country that kept students learning in the classroom for the entire school year," said Gordon. "We made sacrifices, but the earlier orders saved lives. We persevered."

"With this approach we can have graduations, proms and a great end to the school year by keeping schools open," he added. "Especially since our children will not have the chance to be vaccinated this spring."

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

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