Well of course they are; that was always the plan

snorkels to breath under the rising seas are next

Masks creep back into daily life: 20 million people in Washington, LA and NYC are advised to wear face coverings indoors to protect against 'tripledemic' of flu, Covid and RSV

The reason: while Covid is no longer the concern it once was, America is currently being battered by its worst flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outbreaks in more than a decade, creating a winter 'tripledemic'.

Officials have not gone as far as reintroducing mandates yet, but the new recommendations confirm many skeptics' suspicions that measures brought in to fight the once-in-a-generation pandemic would be used again to combat seasonal bugs.

The new “Tripledemic”: Covid’s nothing, the flu comes every year, and everyone over 2 has had RSV and is immune from its mild effects. And masks are useless against all three.

But forcing the sheep to wear masks conditions them to obey authority, and although the insane lockdown provided proof that people will do anything if they’re scared enough, there’s still work to do on the global warming front, for instance: convincing the masses to voluntarily give up civilization and starve to death, for instance, is going to be a hard sell. They’ll do it, eventually, but mask obedience will help the process along.

UPDATE: David Strom has the same take, and puts it succinctly: It is the panic they need, not any specific set of actions. The important thing is getting you to comply with their directives no matter the particular “crisis.”