Coronavirus FAQ: 'Emergency' over! Do we unmask and grin? Or adjust our worries?

Last Friday, the World Health Organization ended the Public Health Emergency of International Concern that it announced three years ago when the virus that causes COVID-19 became a global threat. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended its public health emergency, effective May 11.

The FAQ series published in the Goats and Soda blog was a cornerstone of NPR pandemic coverage, touching on everything from transmission via pets (possible but unlikely) to whether a glass of wine after a vaccine is advisable (seems ok). As the world enters a new phase of the pandemic, we talked to public health gurus about how to move forward since the disease appears to be here to stay even as the emergency is lifted. Dear readers, if you have questions about this new phase of the pandemic, write us at goatsandsoda@npr.org and put "FAQ" in the subject line. Please include your name and location. We'll be answering a sampling of questions in a follow-up FAQ.

So remind me, what was the purpose of the emergency state?

senior fellow for global health, economics and development at the Council on Foreign Relations, says that a public health emergency is "really designed to spur international cooperation around a public health event that is serious, sudden, unexpected and requires immediate