Public Health Experts Call On CDC To Change Its Mask Guidance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn't budged on its guidance that vaccinated people can skip mask-wearing, but some local governments faced with surging cases are going back to mandates, such as Los Angeles County, which recently mandated indoor mask use, including at places like bars and restaurants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn't budged on its guidance that vaccinated people can skip mask-wearing, but some local governments faced with surging cases are going back to mandates, such as Los Angeles County, which recently mandated indoor mask use, including at places like bars and restaurants.The summer surge in COVID-19 cases is an unwelcome surprise for health officials and experts who thought, for a brief period, that the U.S. had the coronavirus pandemic largely under control."This is the low season. The vaccines do protect people from getting seriously ill from COVID-19, so letting vaccinated people stop wearing masks made sense."The science was strong at that time," Khan says. In a White House press briefing on July 22, the CDC's Walensky described mask-wearing, for vaccinated people, as "a very individual choice." "You have exceptional levels of protection from that vaccine, and you may choose to add an extra layer of protection by putting on a mask," she said, while also suggesting that local officials in places with large gaps in vaccination coverage and rising case rates consider "additional measures."The public is lulled by the fact that the summer surge is largely hitting unvaccinated young people, who are more likely to survive COVID-19, says Khan.