Officials across the U.S. are again weighing how and whether to impose mask mandates as COVID-19 infections soar and the American public grows ever wearier of pandemic-related restrictions.

Much of the debate centers around the nation's schools, some of which have closed due to infection-related staffing issues. In a variety of places, mask mandates are being lifted or voted down.

The changes come as the federal government assesses the supply of medical-grade respirator face coverings, such as N95 or KN95 masks. During a briefing Wednesday, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said officials were “strongly considering options to make more high-quality masks available to all Americans,” noting the government has a stockpile of more than 750 million N95 masks.

The best mask “is the one that you will wear and the one you can keep on all day long, that you can tolerate in public indoor settings,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Project N95, a clearinghouse for personal protective equipment, intends to distribute 10 million N95 masks this winter to communities in need. The nonprofit's executive director said the group would applaud a decision to change recommendations to N95 masks, but that the government would also need to increase accessibility and crack down on counterfeit products.

“One of my concerns is that moving to better masks is inherently not equitable,” Anne Miller said. “It shouldn't just be that people with means can get them.”

Officials in Wyoming's capital city voted Monday to end a mask mandate for students and teachers that had been in place since September.