Government Expected to Announce Relaxation of Mask Guidelines Across the Nation
SAN JOSE (KPIX) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to adjust the parameters it uses to draw up guidelines for masking in public, according to a report by the Associated Press.
The move comes as many state and local governments across the country remove COVID-era restrictions like mask mandates, capacity and gathering limits and exposure protocols.
Santa Clara County, the lone county in the Bay Area that has kept its indoor mask mandate in place, also announced plans to allow the mandate to expire, assuming metrics trend in the right direction.
Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County's health officer, described it as an encouraging development.
"The data are very encouraging and very solid ... it continues to decline, looks, looks very encouraging," Cody said.
Santa Clara's indoor mask mandate will end just after midnight on March 2 when it would shift to a recommendation instead of a requirement.
President Biden is set to address the federal government's evolving approach to the pandemic in his State of the Union address March 1.
In a briefing Thursday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden remained focused on pandemic recovery
"How we look at it is we're preparing to stay ahead of the virus -- protecting our most vulnerable, keeping our country open," Psaki said.
"And that is and that is going to look at everything from -- the CDC is obviously reviewing mask guidance -- but also how we're going to ensure that vaccines, boosters, tests, treatments and other important components of our medicine cabinet are available to the American people."
It is unclear if the revised CDC guidelines on masks will change current federal requirements for wearing masks on public transportation.