What does the new CDC mask guidance mean?
CT’s plan more relaxed than U.S. guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a significant update to its guidance on mask-wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying Tuesday that it’s now safe for fully vaccinated people to go without a face covering for certain outdoor activities and gatherings.
The latest CDC recommendation immediately went into effect in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont said, several days ahead of when the state was set to lift the outdoor mask mandate as part of its plan to eliminate most of the remaining COVID restrictions.
Connecticut’s plan is more relaxed than the CDC guidance with the state making no distinction between whether or not someone is fully vaccinated.
During a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Lamont said people who have been vaccinated do not need to wear a mask outside.
“If you’re in a crowded area where you’re not quite sure who you’re standing next to, wear the mask a little bit longer,” he added.
The remark came during an event at The Place 2 Be, a West
Hartford restaurant where the governor announced some restaurants will begin offering a free drink with the purchase of food to customers who show a COVID-19 vaccination card.
The CDC guidance, announced as federal officials conveyed confidence in the progress of the nation’s vaccine program, stressed that masks will still be recommended indoors and at large outdoor gatherings like a live performance, sporting event or parade.
Similar to the CDC guidance, Connecticut will continue to require people to wear masks indoors for now, but Lamont is considering lifting that mandate. Lamont has said he was planning to have discussions with the legislature about when to lift that mandate. He expects to release guidance on it before the state lifts its all indoor COVID-19 restrictions on May 19.
The new CDC guidance indicates it’s safe for unvaccinated people to go without masks while out for a walk, run or bike ride with family members and attending small gatherings with friends and family who are fully vaccinated.
The new guidance comes as about 54 percent of all adults in the United States have received at least one dose of the vaccine. In Connecticut, state officials said Monday that 66 percent of all residents age 16 and older had received a first dose.
On Tuesday, Connecticut’s one day positivity rate reached 3.24 percent as 407 new cases of COVID-19 were discovered from 12,551 new tests. Hospitalizations rose by a net eight patients, bringing the state’s total to 444, and one more death attributed to the illness increased the death toll to 8,067.
Connecticut health experts said the move makes sense, considering the virus tends not to spread as easily outdoors. “Outdoors itself is a safer space,” said Keith Grant, senior system director of infection prevention at Hartford HealthCare.
He said the particles that transmit the virus can get diluted more quickly in the outdoor atmosphere than in an enclosed space.
Lisa Cuchara, a professor of biomedical science in Quinnipiac University’s School of Health Sciences, said lifting outdoor mask requirements makes particular sense in Connecticut “where the infection rates are down and the vaccination rates are up.”
Cuchara and Grant said there are circumstances where people should continue to wear a mask outside, even when the guidance changes.
“Those individuals considered at high-risk (for severe COVID) — these are individuals I believe should still be wearing a mask, whether inside or outside,” Grant said.
Cuchara said she teaches a photography workshop, where she often has to get up close to students. “I will still personally put on my mask, because I feel I’m in spitting distance of someone,” she said.
Cuchara and Grant said they feel the CDC’s evolution on outdoor masking is a positive step.
“The fact that we’re even able to have a conversation (about whether people need a mask outdoors) shows we’re in a better place than we were six months ago,” Grant said.
Cuchara said she understands some people get frustrated that the CDC often alters its guidance, but she said that’s the nature of science.
“I think that, in science, you’re always getting more data,” she said. “I don’t think (the CDC is) necessarily changing their mind. I think they’re re-evaluating based on the new data they have.”