The CDC anounce on Friday, February 25 that most Americans are safe going without a mask in indoor settings, including in schools.
According to NBC: “The new guidance puts more than half of the nation’s counties at low or medium risk for Covid, meaning masks are no longer necessary there. Those counties account for roughly 70 percent of people in the country.
It’s a dramatic shift from the previous guidance, which recommended masks in counties with substantial or high transmission, a category that covered the vast majority of the country. The recommendations apply to everyone, not just those who are vaccinated or have received a booster shot.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at a briefing Friday that the change reflects that the overall risk of severe disease from Covid is lower because of widespread immunity provided by vaccines or prior infection, improvements in testing, and accessibility to new treatments.
“We’re in a stronger place today as a nation with more tools to protect ourselves,” she said.