After loosening the restrictions on the vaccinated, America does behind the front and returns to impose the use of the mask also to those who have completed the vaccination cycle. The spread of variants, the increase in infections and the concern for a new wave has prompted the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to run for cover, revising the guidelines relating touse of the mask, both indoors and outdoors.
Compulsory face masks indoors: the new CDC guidelines for vaccinated
It is not exactly a division into risk zones like the Italian one, but also in the United States the authorities are monitoring the trend of infections by distinguishing territories with contagion rates “Low”, “considerable” and “high”. And it is precisely starting from this differentiation that on Tuesday, July 27, the CDC revised the rules relating to the obligation of masks in indoor places. Specifically, taking a clear step back from the past, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have updated the guidelines for vaccinated establishing that, in areas with “considerable” or “high” infection rates, the obligation to wear a mask in public places not outdoors will also be extended to those who have completed the vaccination cycle.
Until a few weeks ago, with the vaccination campaign continuing fast and the number of cases decreasing, the US health authorities had decided to ease the restrictions for those who had received the first and second dose of the Covid vaccine. Specifically, visits to people outside one’s circle of family members / cohabitants were once again allowed and the obligation to wear the mask even indoors and in the presence of subjects other than relatives was no longer required. The variant risk, however, has once again mixed the cards on the table.
Masks even at school: the rules for returning to class
While in Italy there is still discussion on how to allow students to return to class in September, in America they have already decided to exclude distance learning, avoiding the risk of infection at school through the adoption of strict security protocols. Specifically, the CDC recommended that schools use masks during face-to-face lessons – for both pupils and teachers – regardless of their vaccination status.
These kinds of recommendations, it was explained, apply to counties where infection rates are higher than 50 new cases per day out of 100,000 residents.
The change of course, as mentioned, comes just 10 weeks after health authorities said it was safe for fully vaccinated Americans. stop wearing masks in most indoor environments. “This is not a decision we have taken lightly,” said Dr Rochelle Walensky, CDC Director. The Delta variant, she explained, “behaves differently from past strains” in its ability to spread between vaccinated and unvaccinated people, hence the choice to proceed by reviewing some restrictions.
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