CDC issues new guidance on mask use

Enlarge / The new standards place most of the country in a state where mask use is optional. (credit: CDC)

In a widely expected move, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new guidelines for the use of masks and other precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19. While the precautions people should take-vaccinations and mask use-are largely unchanged, the metrics that will trigger changes in suggested precautions will shift from being focused purely on case counts to including information on the severity of cases and hospital capacity.

The move had been hinted at for weeks, and it comes in response to a wide range of pressures. These include the rapidly falling numbers of new cases following the peak of omicron infections earlier this year, changes made in policies at the state level, and a general fatigue regarding pandemic precautions among the public. During a press call announcing the changes, however, CDC head Rochelle Walensky said the agency had been considering the changes for some time.

Walensky announced the changes by saying, "We're in a stronger place today," before elaborating that this is because, "with widespread population immunity, the overall risk of severe disease is lower." Given that situation, the CDC has decided to shift the focus of its advice to cases of severe illness and the strain those put on the health care system.

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