The University of Maryland Medical System and several other Baltimore-area hospital systems have begun lifting masking requirements for public areas that have been in place since April 2020, shortly after the coronavirus pandemic struck.

At UMMS’ 11 hospitals and other facilities, masks still will be required for employees and visitors when they are in contact with patients, but not in waiting rooms, lobbies and hallways, a spokesperson for UMMS said in a statement. They’ll be optional for patients in emergency department waiting rooms, but those who are seeking care for respiratory symptoms will be encouraged to wear a mask, the spokesperson, Michael Schwartzberg, wrote in an email.

“Although the pandemic is not over, we are in a period of transition,” the statement read.

“While COVID-19 remains present in our daily lives, the number of new cases is decreasing, and we are no longer seeing significant numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations.”

Greater Baltimore Medical Center, LifeBridge Health and Mercy Medical Center also have eased their mask requirements or are planning to do so. However, masks are still required for everyone ages 2 and older at Johns Hopkins Medicine facilities, according to the health system’s website.

There were 217 Marylanders hospitalized with the virus Wednesday, according to data from the Maryland Department of Health. Hospitalizations have been trending downward since early January, when they peaked for the season at close to 900.

The decline of COVID cases and hospitalizations can be attributed to multiple factors, the UMMS statement read, including vaccination, prior infections and treatment therapies.

There also has been a decline in other respiratory viruses, such as influenza and RSV, which previously were circulating at high levels, the statement read.

Additionally, the statement read, there has been a transition to optional masking in the general community and the end of the federal public health emergency declaration is planned for May.

“However, health care professionals continue to care for vulnerable and immunocompromised populations who remain susceptible to severe consequences of infection, so all University of Maryland Medical System team members must continue to wear at least a well-fitting medical face mask when in contact with patients,” the statement read.

Widespread masking, which became a political hot-button issue, is widely regarded as having helped reduce the spread of COVID-19 when the pandemic was at its worst, according to multiple studies.

GBMC loosened its masking rules as of March 13, allowing employees, patients and visitors to go without a mask while in GBMC facilities, including the Towson-based hospital, outpatient areas and GBMC Health Partners practices, according to a statement on the health system’s social media.

Patients and visitors still should wear a mask if they are experiencing any respiratory symptoms, according to GBMC’s social media post. Those who have been diagnosed with the coronavirus should delay all elective appointments until they have fully completed the recommended 10-day isolation period, and those who have been exposed to the virus must wear a mask for 10 days.

On Friday, LifeBridge hospitals will join UMMS and GBMC in lifting many of its masking requirements. Though employees and visitors will be required to wear a mask while with patients, masking will be optional in public spaces, including waiting rooms, lobbies, nurses’ stations and hallways of patient care units and outpatient facilities.

Employees should honor patient requests to wear a mask, regardless of setting, according to an email Wednesday morning announcing the change in policy from Leslie Simmons, executive vice president and chief operations officer at LifeBridge Health.

Starting Saturday, masking will become optional — with some exceptions —for employees, patients and visitors at Mercy Medical Center in downtown Baltimore and all locations in its health system.

Masks still will be required for anyone experiencing respiratory symptoms or with a known COVID exposure; any employee recovering from COVID-19 who has been cleared to return to work, but is still within the 10 day window of symptom onset; and employees caring for patients in situations that require masking, such as operating rooms and procedural areas.

Employees also are required to mask if they’re asked to do so by a patient.

“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve and things can change quickly,” Dr. David Maine, Mercy president and CEO, said in a statement Wednesday. “Mercy will continue to closely monitor COVID-19 metrics along with state and federal guidance. Mercy will remain prepared to adapt infection prevention policies and reinstitute masking if necessary.”