Why U.S. Advice on Wearing Masks Became ‘On Again’
Customers hold free pizza and cocktails after receiving a dose Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccination at a bar in Miami, Florida, on May 8.
Photographer: Alicia Vera/BloombergAdvice from U.S. authorities on the need for face masks has flipped back and forth since Covid-19 took hold in 2020. In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said immunized Americans could ditch their masks in most settings. It’s now reversed course amid a rise in cases caused by the more transmissible delta variant.
For everyone, even if they are immunized, to wear masks indoors if they are in parts of the country where infections are surging. This is an effort to help prevent the spread of the delta strain, which is highly contagious and has shown itself to be adept at evading some of the protection provided by vaccines. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, said it now appears that some vaccinated people infected with the delta variant can transmit the virus to others. The CDC also recommends that countrywide, teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status.