CDC lifts mask rules for vaccinated Americans
What happened
Many Americans took off their face masks last week after the Centers for Disease Control scrapped almost all of its masking and social-distancing recommendations for people fully vaccinated against Covid-19, an unexpected announcement that was met with celebration and confusion. Citing new research that indicates recipients of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s shots are highly unlikely to spread the virus or to be infected by variants, the CDC said vaccinated people can safely go without masks in almost all situations—even when they are indoors in large groups. The advisory, an abrupt about-face for an agency that just three weeks earlier had urged vaccinated people to remain masked in crowded spaces, surprised even the White House. “We’ll smile again,” President Biden said on receiving the news, “and now, see one another’s smile.” Within a day, some 20 states had lifted mask mandates for vaccinated residents. Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Costco, Publix, Target, Starbucks, and other businesses also dropped mask requirements for inoculated customers.
Real-world data suggests the vaccines are working remarkably well: At the peak of the pandemic in January, Covid was killing more than 3,300 Americans a day; that figure is now down to about 600. While the U.S. vaccination campaign has slowed from an April high of 3.5 million shots administered daily to 1.8 million now, about 158 million Americans have received at least one dose and nearly half of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated, including 70 percent of seniors.
Many health officials and doctors said the CDC’s announcement was premature and could undercut one of the most effective tools for battling the coronavirus—which is still infecting about 35,000 people a day. “The guidance shifts all the burden onto individuals to be ‘on their honor,’” said Johns Hopkins University epidemiologist Lisa Maragakis. “The likely result is almost no one will wear a mask.”
What the editorials said
“Don’t toss out your face mask and rush out on the town just yet,” said the Los Angeles Times. For starters, the CDC guidance is full of exceptions: It doesn’t extend to prisons, schools, hospitals, trains, planes, or businesses that require face coverings. “So much for getting back to normal.” Then there’s the fact that only one-third of Americans are fully vaccinated, and there’s no way to know if the maskless people near you in a restaurant or store have had their shots. There’s still a risk, albeit a low one, “of sparking new infections when you gather unvaccinated and unmasked people in a room and let them mix.”
“Eradication of the coronavirus was never and still cannot be the goal,” said WashingtonExaminer.com. We don’t demand that other risks be reduced to zero at any cost, and the same is true with Covid. The CDC’s new advisory is an overdue recognition of the reality that, thanks to vaccines, “we have defeated the epidemic. It’s over.” Now it’s time to take the next steps. Classrooms need to open in full. We should lift capacity limits at ballparks, theaters, and places of worship “where the community spread is low—which is almost all of the country.”
What the columnists said
The CDC’s guidance has caused “a giant mess,” said Dr. Leana Wen in The Washington Post. The announcement blindsided governors and mayors, leading to a confusing patchwork of new mask rules across the country, and it left businesses scrambling to find ways to relax restrictions while also protecting the unvaccinated. A scientific agency like the CDC is not equipped to steer policy, so “Biden needs to course-correct, now.” His administration should define region-by-region criteria for lifting mask mandates— perhaps when 70 percent of a community is vaccinated—and help private entities set up apps that people can use to prove their vaccination status.