Vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear masks indoors and outdoors, as per the latest COVID-19 mask guidance from CDC.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to make changes in the COVID-19 guidelines these past few weeks. As the rate of vaccination increases in the United States, it makes sense why the restrictions are starting to ease.
Last week, health officials announced that citizens who have completed their vaccine shots no longer need to wear masks, both indoors and outdoors. The same applies, as well, regarding the social distancing rules, even in most indoor settings.
However, BBC reported that the new guidance still causes confusion among the public. As explained, the rules amid the pandemic have become “more complicated.”
What causes the confusion?
The publication continued that nearly two dozen states in the U.S. have already applied the new changes in the mask guidance. But, the main confusion appears to lie in the awareness of which individuals have, indeed, completed their COVID-19 vaccine shots.
As noted, there is no way for the public to know which ones are following the latest mask guidelines and which are just choosing to forgo their face coverings for a different reason. Several stores in the country are already allowing customers to shop without masks and without declaring the status of their vaccinations.
The public is “misinterpreting” the new COVID-19 mask guidelines
The country’s leading infectious disease expert, Anthony S. Fauci, shared his thoughts on the matter to Axios, according to the Washington Post. In his statement, he said that “the public is misinterpreting” the CDC’s latest COVID-19 mask guidance.
He explained that the public is seemingly taking that the removal of a mask mandate is for everyone. “It is not,” as the announcement is “an assurance to those who are vaccinated that they can feel safe, be they outdoors or indoors,” he added.
Fauci also pointed out that the latest guidance from CDC did not tell unvaccinated individuals to go without masks. “People either read them quickly” or only “hear half of it,” he asserted.
Why CDC made changes
The new advisory from CDC comes as half of the total population has already received their first vaccine dose. Reports also added that about 37 percent of Americans have completed their shots.
This is not the first time, though, that the health agency changed the COVID-19 mask guidelines. In April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that vaccinated people could already “safely engage in outdoor activities” without the need for masks.
Images (1) & (2) courtesy of Centers For Disease Control and Prevention/YouTube