The US isn’t ready to stop mask use indoors just yet, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday.
Walensky told NBC’s Lester Holt that to change its guidance recommending masks be worn indoors, the CDC is looking for an increase in the number of vaccinated people and a decrease in the number of Covid-19 cases.
“While we're really encouraged by the ongoing trends right now, I do want to remind Americans that we had a seven-day average of about 54,000 cases this past week,” Walensky said. “Those numbers are coming down, but that's still higher than our summer surge.”
Earlier Tuesday, the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks during certain outdoor activities.
When asked why the CDC is still recommending unvaccinated people wear masks outdoors, Walensky said, “We still believe that there is transmission. People are gathering near one another. They're coming less than six feet apart, and we know that this virus can trick us, so we want to be very careful for people who are unvaccinated.”