Health officials urge people to continue wearing masks despite NH dropping mandate

New Hampshire’s mask mandate expires on Friday.

Governor Chris Sununu says individual businesses, cities and towns can still require masks, but the state will no longer enforce the rule.

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Despite dropping the mandate, the governor is urging people to keep wearing masks.

Healthcare officials in the Granite State say cases and hospitalizations, especially among younger people, have doubled in the past month.

“We even got down to one patient at one time, two to three weeks ago but now we are up to 17,” said Dr. Artemio Mendoza, with Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.

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“Patients are presenting with the typical symptoms, respiratory distress, body aches. We've got five patients in our ICU,” said Dr. Scott Wolf, the president of Southern New Hampshire Health.

One lawmaker, who is also a doctor, called ending the mandate too soon "potentially devastating."