CDC Announces Fully Vaccinated Americans Should Wear Masks Again Inside Public Spaces In Places With 'High Transmission'
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a reversal on the mask mandate Tuesday.
The CDC is recommending even fully vaccinated people wear masks in public, indoor spaces in areas with high transmission rates. Also, teachers, students and visitors in K-12 schools should wear masks in schools.
This is due to an increase in cases across the country due to the Delta variant.
In April, the CDC eased its guidelines saying that fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear face coverings in crowds.
In May, the CDC further relaxed restrictions stating that that fully-vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear face coverings in any setting. However, the guidance still called for wearing masks in crowded indoor spaces such as buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.
In Maryland, both local and state officials are urging the remaining unvaccinated residents to get vaccinated.
They say the more dangerous delta variant is spreading faster.
Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday the Delta variants are "scary and dangerous, more virulent, more contagious, and they're spreading all over our state."
Hogan said it's not a lack of access to vaccines, but that the remaining 24% of people still refuse to get the vaccine.
"We're going to keep trying to convince them one at a time that they're going to be safer, or their families are going to be protected, and their communities are if they would all get the vaccine," Hogan said.
The Delta variant is fueling new cases in Maryland. Cases have been growing in Maryland for weeks and the state has reported more than 300 new daily cases at least three days in July.
"Please don't wait until you're sick in a hospital bed talk to your doctor about getting the vaccine," Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa said.
Read more on CBS news.
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