Now that summer is in full swing in North Carolina, it almost feels like things are back to normal. But numbers don’t lie — and North Carolina’s latest COVID-19 numbers are a stark reminder that “normal” is still out of reach.

Our state is once again seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations after months of decline. New daily cases have hit a nearly three-month high, and hospitalizations have doubled in the past two weeks, according to the North Carolina DHHS COVID-19 dashboard. Officials say that the delta variant, which is more contagious and potentially more dangerous than other strains of the virus, is largely to blame.

Similarly disturbing trends are happening across the country — an ominous warning of what may be to come in our state. In Missouri, hospitals have begun to turn away patients because beds are full. In Alabama, where only about a third of the population is fully vaccinated, almost 90 percent of counties have climbed to the “very high risk” category for spread of COVID-19. And some Florida hospitals are seeing more COVID patients than ever before.

Now, to help prevent the spread of the delta variant, the CDC is reversing a decision it made just two months ago, announcing Tuesday that vaccinated people should resume wearing masks indoors under certain circumstances. Vaccinated people who live in areas with substantial and high transmission should wear masks indoors in public spaces, the new guidance says, and everyone in K-12 schools should wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status.

That guidance applies to much of North Carolina, where viral spread is on the rise and just 57% of those eligible for the vaccine have received at least one dose. Yes, we thought all of this was behind us, but mask mandates, gathering restrictions, school and office closures — all of that could be back on the table if things don’t change. “If the pandemic worsens, and additional action is necessary, we’ll take it,” Gov. Roy Cooper said at a press conference last week.

Some cities, including Kansas City, are issuing mask mandates in response to the CDC guidance. But a government-imposed mask mandate presents its own challenges. It’s difficult to enforce, and it’s likely to create resentment, as it has in the past. On Tuesday, Republicans jumped to criticize the CDC’s mask guidance — including Sen. Thom Tillis, who said: “The Biden administration apparently doesn’t trust the science, and they clearly don’t trust the American people to take personal responsibility for their own choices.”

We’re disappointed that Tillis saw the CDC announcement as a political opportunity. The CDC’s adjusted guidance is, in fact, based on worrisome new data that indicates how contagious and dangerous the delta variant might be. While a state mask mandate might be problematic for now, the CDC’s new recommendations give businesses and other institutions — including school boards — justification for taking action of their own.

Some have already begun to do so, with Triangle and Charlotte-area hospitals announcing this week that they will mandate the vaccine for all employees. Duke University is requiring everyone in a Duke building to be masked starting Friday. Wake Forest University, which has required all students to be vaccinated for COVID-19 upon returning to campus in the fall, has taken another, more creative route — requiring members of the media who participate in any in-person media opportunity at the school to be fully vaccinated.

Employers should exercise their right to say what goes on in their doors, and the delta variant — not to mention the possibility of new variants emerging — might be reason enough to mask up or require vaccinations. As long as people remain unvaccinated, the virus isn’t going anywhere — and scientists worry that could lead to new, more dangerous variants.

We all want the pandemic to be over, but as always, that’s up to us. It’s time to get tougher, wherever we can.