Washington: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reviewing its mask policy, as per Director Rochelle Walensky.
“We must consider hospital capacity as an additional important barometer,” Walensky told the public on Wednesday during a White House COVID-19 update.
Walensky said the government is contemplating a change to its mask guidance in the coming weeks. Noting recent declines in Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions and deaths, she acknowledged “people are so eager” for health officials to ease masking rules and other measures designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
People are required by federal law to wear masks on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation.
As new infections from the Omicron variant rapidly decline from their peak levels in January, the authorities in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Oregon have announced that they were loosening indoor mask requirements, while some cities and school districts are keeping their mandates in place.
Meanwhile, Walt Disney Co. is ditching its mask requirement for fully vaccinated visitors at its Florida and California theme parks, starting Thursday.
The shift comes as Covid-19 cases decline in many parts of the country and as major employers including Amazon, Tyson Foods and Walmart drop face-covering mandates for vaccinated workers.
Disney cited “recent trends and regulatory guidance” in easing its pandemic-related rules. It does not require proof of vaccination to get into its parks.
