Timeline: Changes to CDC mask guidelines since the pandemic began

Face mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health agencies has changed many times through the course of the pandemic. See a timeline below:

• January 2020: The pandemic had just emerged, and CDC officials said members of the public did not need to wear a mask, citing lack of community transmission.
• March 2020: The CDC said people who were feeling ill or taking care of sick patients should wear a mask.
• April 2020: CDC and other government officials recommended Americans consider wearing a cloth face covering in public. It was framed as voluntary.
• July 2020: The CDC officially called on Americans to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. More than half of U.S. states had mask mandates by this time.
• April 2021: With vaccination rates spiking, the CDC stated fully vaccinated people didn’t need to wear a mask outside unless in a big crowd.
• May 2021: Mask guidance was eased further as the CDC said fully vaccinated people didn’t need to wear one in most indoor and outdoor settings.
• July 9, 2021: Guidance from the CDC stated students and teachers wouldn’t need to wear a mask in school come fall.
• July 27, 2021: Latest CDC recommendations are updated to say masks should be worn in public in areas of high transmission regardless of vaccination status. Students, teachers and staff should all be masked in school.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3BM8sdi