BRAINTREE -- With the numbers of new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations falling, the Archdiocese of Boston is lifting its requirement that face masks be worn at all public Masses earlier than previously planned.

In December, ahead of Christmas Masses and with omicron variant cases surging, Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley reinstated a mask requirement for public Masses effective Dec. 18. The requirement was originally intended to expire a month later but was subsequently extended until March 3, the day after Ash Wednesday.

The mask requirement will now be lifted as of Feb. 28, although parishes must still designate a section of each worship space for people who wish to wear masks and maintain social distancing.

In addition to Masses, masks will not be required for participation in parish faith-formation programs, also effective Feb. 28.

The announcement of the change came on Feb. 10, the day after the state's Department of Secondary and Elementary Education announced that masks would no longer be required in public schools, and Superintendent of Catholic Schools Thomas Carroll lifted the mask requirement for Catholic schools, both as of Feb. 28.

While the archdiocesan-wide requirement has been lifted, individual parishes may still require mask-wearing.

"If a pastor decides that it is not yet time in his community for a dropping of a mask requirement, based on his knowledge of the needs of his particular community, he may continue to require the wearing of masks in his parish," the archdiocese said.

It added that, "if the local municipality continues to require the wearing of masks in public places, the parish must comply with those regulations."

The archdiocese also asked parishes "to continue to exercise and encourage caution in all parish activities."