I think the CDC is throwing up its hands - they're now watching the pressure on regional hospitals and if the hospitals are full or overwhelmed, the advice is to wear masks. Otherwise, not. This is like they're saying "you fools won't get vaccinated and won't wear masks, and you're going to do what you want to do no matter what we say, so until the hospitals are full of dying people, do what you're gonna do."

This doesn't mean COVID is gone, it means the Omicron variant is dissipating. I plan to continue to wear a mask in public places because I don't want to get sick. I don't know that my area is allowed to go without masks yet, we were hit pretty hard recently, so there is research involved. But when in doubt, the prudent move is to keep the masks handy.