The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made a massive change to its guidelines Thursday, saying people can ditch their masks in most indoor and outdoor settings.
Questions about the CDC changes
There’s still a lot of skepticism and questions about the mandate. Experts told CNN that there are still some questions about the guidelines mean for everyone moving forward. And it still puts people at risk against the novel coronavirus.
- “They were overly cautious and now I think they are throwing caution to the wind,” CNN medical analyst Leana Wen said of the guidelines.
Should you wear your face mask still?
So let’s say you vaccinated against COVID-19. What are you supposed to do now? Should you ditch the face mask entirely? Here’s what The New York Times had to say about it:
“If you feel comfortable doing so, you can start going out without a mask on your face. But you might want to still keep one in your pocket.
“Some local governments and businesses are likely to continue requiring masks, at least in the immediate future. And if you ride the bus or train, or are visiting a family member in a hospital or nursing home, you will still be expected to mask up.”
So it doesn’t seem like there’s going to be too much of a change. You may want to keep a mask on hand in case a business wants you to mask up.
Why the CDC change its guidelines?
It’s unclear, but the changes came amid skepticism from public health officials and experts, who said the CDC was slow to open up amid a high vaccination rollout, as I explained for the Deseret News.