The CDC has updated masking guidelines. As of April 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) require “the wearing of masks by people on public transportation conveyances or on the premises of transportation hubs to prevent spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.” Throughout the pandemic, the CDC has monitored the situation and has issued orders when needed in order to ensure public health and safety.
The CDC has decided to not require masking for buses and vans operated by public or private school systems. Additionally, the CDC is monitoring the situation and will “use enforcement discretion to not require people to wear a mask in outdoor areas of conveyances.”
Still, there has been some backlash to these updated guidelines. The mandate was set to expire on April 18 but was extended until May 3 so public health officials could continue to evaluate the situation. When the CDC asked the Department of Justice to appeal a ruling that struck down the federal mask mandate, there was still some debate over the subject.
Since last year, mask mandates have been changing. In New Jersey, the mask mandate for schools was lifted earlier this year. Many fear that the CDC’s new guidelines will induce backlash from Americans who feel that the need to mask is no longer necessary. Still, the CDC maintains that “[T]his is a lawful order, well within C.D.C.’s legal authority to protect public health.”
However, U.S.Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes commented, “With low hospitalization rates and multiple effective health tools now widely available, from boosters to therapies to high-quality air ventilation aboard aircraft, required masking on public transportation is simply out of step with the current public health landscape.”
The CDC’s updated guidelines no doubt jeopardize the “return to normalcy” idea that many desperately desire due to the numerous ways the pandemic has altered daily life. These updates may be the start of more if we try to return to pre-COVID life too soon. Across the nation, cases and hospitalizations are rising once again. University of Washington’s Ali H. Mokdad warned, “COVID-19 is not done with us […] It’s just waiting for us to make a mistake.”
Even colleges have been updating mask mandate regulations and these mandates have been returning to campuses. Anita Barkin, co-chair of a COVID-19 task force for the American College Health Association explains, “As much as we would like to move on and think that the pandemic is over, and I think we all would like that to happen at this point, it’s wishful thinking […] The pandemic is still with us.” Much like the CDC, colleges and universities still have concerns over the transmission of COVID-19.
These updated CDC guidelines may foreshadow more to come. Due to increased access to vaccines and booster shots, the United States is in a better position to handle the increase in cases, but masking still remains important due to the current state of the pandemic.
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