The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reversed course and strengthened recommendations about masks, saying fully vaccination people should wear masks indoors under certain conditions.
With the emergence of the Delta variant, the CDC now recommends fully vaccination people wear masks in public indoor areas of high transmission.
For example, the seven-day case rate per 100,000 people shows that the highest rates are in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri, according to CDC data.
Additionally, they said people might consider wearing a mask indoors, regardless of transmission level, if around someone immunocompromised, at increased risk of disease, or unvaccinated, including children.
CDC still recommends all unvaccinated people wear masks indoors in public.
Describing a layered approach to prevention, the CDC said the level of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, health system capacity, vaccination coverage, capacity for early detection and the population at risk for severe outcomes should be considered in decision-making.
