CDC lifts most mask recommendations

Healthy Americans in most places can safely ditch masks indoors, including in schools and low-risk areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday. The new guidelines say masks are no longer needed in indoor spaces in most counties, but face coverings should still be worn on public transportation. The updated recommendations are not binding, so city and local governments can impose their own rules. The CDC still urges people with COVID-19 symptoms or a recent positive test to wear a mask.

Why the change? CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the shift reflects more widespread immunity and a lower risk of severe infection. The new metrics still consider new COVID-19 cases but focus more on hospitalizations and local capacity. The seven-day average for COVID-19 hospitalizations has dropped roughly 27 percent just in the past week, down to around 50,000 nationwide. More than 70 percent of the U.S. population lives in counties where the CDC says the coronavirus poses a low or medium threat to hospitals. 

Dig deeper: Read Mark Hemingway’s article in WORLD Opinions on how COVID-19 restrictions can affect kids.