protect ourselves and our communities than ever before.”
Determining a community’s COVID level
“A community’s COVID-19 level is determined by a combination of three pieces of information — new hospitalizations for COVID-19, current hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients or hospital capacity, and new COVID-19 cases,” Greta Massetti, from the CDC’s COVID-19 Response Incident Management Team, explained during the media briefing. “These metrics will tell us if the level is low, medium or high.”
Masking in public indoor settings is only advised in communities where COVID levels are high; in medium-level communities, high-risk people are advised to talk with their doctor about whether to wear a mask in public indoor settings. No masking is recommended in low-level community settings.
“With this update, CDC will now only recommend universal school masking in communities at the high level,” Massetti noted.
“As of today, more than half of counties representing about 70% of Americans are in areas with low or medium COVID-19 community levels,” she said. “This is an increase from about one-third of counties at low or medium community levels last week, and we continue to see indicators improve in many communities.”
RELATED: 3 Things to Consider With Mask Mandates Lifting
The federal change comes as nearly all U.S. states are already letting local mask mandates lapse. Some have eliminated the mandates entirely, while others have kept mask-wearing requirements in place for schools and medical facilities, the Associated Press reports.
Meanwhile, many companies have already shifted to requiring only proof of vaccination for workers, but masks are still mandatory while using public transportation, including flying on airplanes, according to The New York Times. Those rules are set to expire on March 18, but a flight attendants’ union is urging the Biden administration to extend the requirement until more Americans are vaccinated.
Recent polls have demonstrated that the public’s patience with COVID restrictions is fraying. Nearly half of Americans surveyed thought the nation should “learn to live with” the pandemic and “get back to normal,” according to a Yahoo News/YouGov survey. And a poll from Monmouth University found that roughly 70 percent of Americans believe “it’s time we accept COVID is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives.”
Whether or not you decide to wear a mask, remember to be cognizant of your surroundings and continue to use safe practices. This includes social distancing and washing your hands regularly.