New CDC guidelines say that more than 90% of US population doesn't need masks anymore

Washington

The US Centres for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) on Thursday said that almost 93 per cent of the population in the US lives in locations where the coronavirus level is so low that people do not need to wear masks indoors.

In an announcement on Friday, CDC eased its guidelines on when Americans should wear masks indoors, saying they can also drop them in counties experiencing low or medium COVID-19 levels.

COVID hospitalizations - a key benchmark for the new masking recommendations - continue to decline, as indicated by the latest figures.

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The CDC, while announcing its revised guidelines said about 70 per cent of US counties and 72 per cent of the US population resides in communities where face coverings are no longer recommended.

The agency on Thursday said 85.4 per cent of counties are now ranked as low to medium risk and about 92.9 per cent of the population lives in those counties.

However, it is still to be determined whether the Biden administration will extend the mask requirements for travelling on airplanes, trains, buses or for transit hubs.

The current transit order expires on March 18 but can be extended. As per the White House the issue is still being evaluated.

The guidelines announced last week shifted its focus from COVID-19 transmission rates to infection rates, local hospitalisation and hospital capacity.

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As per the earlier recommendations, only 5 per cent of the counties fell under the safe zone and could abandon wearing masks indoors, while 95 per cent of were considered to be at risk for higher transmission.

Many federal agencies this week have told government employees that they can now stop wearing masks indoors in federal buildings in Washington, D.C. Area or in some low or medium Covid level areas including Pentagon, Transportation Department, Justice Department, State Department and Federal Aviation.

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As per an earlier memo, the White House had directed agencies to revise federal employee masking and testing rules number by Friday. 

The guidance said that Federal agencies in counties with low Covid community levels do not need to regularly screen unvaccinated employees for COVID-19. This guidance covers about 3.5 million employees.

(With inputs from agencies)