Across the country, the COVID-19 case numbers are dropping and masks are coming off. But no one should be breathing easier.

Despite cautions from medical experts, more states are easing mask-wearing requirements indoors and in schools — including Democratic-led ones that had maintained strict COVID protocols.

Hawaii is not one of them, and for good reason. The pandemic isn’t over. No one knows when it will be. And no amount of I’ve-had-enough frustration will change this reality.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), warned that hospitalizations and death rates nationwide are still too high. She said the CDC continues to recommend wearing masks indoors in areas where community transmission is substantial or high, which includes Hawaii.

Still, there are good reasons to be optimistic. The positive-case numbers are dropping, or at least plateauing. The seven-day average of cases statewide dropped from 2,250 on Jan. 27, to 796 on Feb. 9. As of Friday, there were 192 COVID-19 patients in the hospital; on Jan. 24, there were 401.

Remember, though, case numbers have dropped and rebounded before. Yes, this time we’re better armed, with vaccines, more home tests, progress in therapeutic medications and more natural immunity. On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave emergency approval to a new monoclonal antibody drug that shows promise in lab tests against omicron, the dominant strain.

Hawaii is one of a handful of states that still requires most people to wear a masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status. So why not follow other states and drop those pesky masks?

Here’s why not yet, at least in Hawaii: The highly contagious omicron is still fairly new and swirling. Our hospitals are doing well, but our isolation makes them more vulnerable than mainland hospitals if another surge hits. Just last month, understaffed hospitals were forced to bring in some 600 health care workers from the mainland, at considerable expense, to help out.

The CDC also published data on Friday suggesting that booster shots lose much of their potency after about four months, raising the risks for older or immunocompromised people.

Yes, masks may be a nuisance, but they’re not a game-changing or economy-destroying nuisance. Most Hawaii residents have managed without too much trouble. And when worn properly, masks reduce the odds of getting infected and of keeping the virus in wide circulation. They’re still an important tool in reaching our ultimate goal: cutting this scourge down to a manageable size.

The COVID-19 situation is evolving, and Gov. David Ige should revisit the indoor-masking rule when his latest emergency proclamation expires on March 25. But for now, let’s keep the masks on.