The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering changing its guidance on wearing masks outside, according to NBC News.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, said on the “Today” show that the CDC is considering updating its guidance on wearing masks outside because of vaccinations and transmission data.
- “We’ll be looking at the outdoor masking question, but also in the context of the fact that we still have people who are dying of COVID-19,” she said, according to NBC News.
What experts say
Experts recently suggested that wearing masks outside isn’t necessary because the virus doesn’t spread as well in outdoor environments.
- Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, told NBC News: “We know that the virus largely spreads indoors and there’s very little transmission outdoors, except in some very specific circumstances. At this point in the pandemic, with more than half of Americans vaccinated, it’s pretty reasonable to start thinking about peeling back outdoor mask mandates.”
- Krystal Pollitt, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, told The Washington Post: “There is not necessarily a straightforward rule. A lot of it really comes down to still thinking of the level of risk of the situation around you and the people around you, especially.”
- Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a CNN medical analyst, told CNN: ”I’d say for the most part, you don’t need to wear a mask outdoors.”
- Linsey Marr, who works with airborne transmission of viruses at Virginia Tech, told CNN: “If you’re vaccinated and not in a vulnerable category, it’s probably fine not to wear a mask outdoors.”