A summer surge in cases, and the rise of the more transmissible delta variant, has caused the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its recommendations for wearing masks: Everyone, whether or not they had a vaccine, should wear masks indoors in communities where coronavirus transmission is high. That guidance aligns with what other countries and the World Health Organization have been advising recently, too. This is, potentially, a wrinkle in employers’ plans to have workers return in-person.
The CDC also said all students, teachers and school staff should wear masks when inside. Previous guidelines from the agency said face coverings were needed only for the unvaccinated in schools. Its new advice lines up with that from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Kids shouldn’t need masks to play outside, though, unless it is crowded, the CDC said.
