CDC wants to “give people a break” from masks, says new guidance coming

Enlarge / Signage on a window of a coffee shop informs customers of their masking policy in San Francisco, California, US, on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. The state's indoor mask requirement, which requires everyone to wear face coverings indoors regardless of vaccination status, expired on Wednesday. (credit: Getty | Bloomberg)

With national cases of COVID-19 dropping precipitously, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will soon release new guidance on how states and local governments can ease out of health restrictions, including indoor mask wearing. According to news reports citing unnamed officials, new guidance could come as early as next week.

The CDC's guidance will arrive well after several states and local governments charged ahead with plans to pull back pandemic restrictions, particularly indoor masking. The moves have left some questioning whether the CDC is, once again, struggling to keep up with the pandemic's shifting conditions.

In a press briefing last week, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky stood by the current guidance, noting that "our hospitalizations are still high, our death rates are still high." While the agency was "encouraged" by current downward trends, "we are not there yet," Dr. Walensky said of easing guidance.

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