Texas restaurant threatened for demanding mask 0:39
(CNN) -
A safer future is just a few months away, but it's crucial that Americans continue to practice covid-19 safety precautions and heed the advice of health officials as the country works to vaccinate more people. an expert told CNN on Monday.
“We are not done yet, the covid is still among us.
Variants are still a risk, "said Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"You don't declare victory in the third quarter."
Americans should continue to wear masks and avoid crowded indoor spaces, "where the virus can spread rapidly," according to Frieden, while officials track variants circulating in the US, including the highly contagious variant B.1.1 .7 which was first detected in the UK.
Experts say the variant is now spreading rapidly across the US and, according to the CDC, it will likely become the predominant variant this month.
Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm warned earlier this week that the variant could help fuel another dangerous surge in just several weeks.
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Dr. Chris Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, said his team's projections show that "things will slowly but steadily improve."
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"But in the worst case scenario, where people stop wearing masks faster, they start having meetings faster, then you can see an increase in April," he said.
In other words, the next few weeks are critical, and the way communities act could make the covid-19 numbers better or worse.
Another state leader announces easing of restrictions
Despite warnings from experts about the dangers that persist, a number of states last week revealed plans to relax restrictions on covid-19.
Most recently, Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon announced that he will lift the statewide requirement to wear face masks and allow bars, restaurants, theaters and gyms to resume normal operations beginning March 16.
"I call upon all Wyoming citizens to continue to take personal responsibility for their actions and to remain diligent as we look to the warmer months and the safe resumption of our traditional spring and summer activities," the Governor said in a statement on Monday.
Spain sets standards for using transparent masks 3:45
A facial coverage protocol will be maintained for schools, he added.
Other state leaders, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, also announced earlier this month that they were removing the mask mandates.
MIRA: Mexican restaurant in Texas is threatened by citizens for demanding the use of a mask
Health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci and CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, have urged Americans to continue wearing masks and staying safe from COVID-19 even as states have lifted restrictions.
"Listen to the CDC's recommendations regarding methods of mitigation, wearing masks, physical distancing," Fauci told the National League of Cities on Monday.
"Hear what their recommendations are."
Guide for the Fully Vaccinated Doesn't Include Enough, Some Experts Say
Many of the state leaders who announced the relaxation of measures pointed to the encouraging trends of COVID-19 in their state and the increase in vaccination figures.
But while the number of Americans who have been vaccinated grows every day, the country is likely still a few months away from herd immunity, the point where enough people are protected against a disease and it cannot spread.
So far, more than 60 million Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to CDC data.
More than 31.4 million people are now fully vaccinated, the data shows.
That's about 9.5% of the US population.
CDC updates guide for vaccinated.
Check out the new guidelines here 6:17
The CDC just released new guidelines for fully vaccinated people, saying they can safely visit other people who have been vaccinated, as well as small groups of unvaccinated people in some cases, but safety precautions are still needed.
The guide says that fully vaccinated people can visit other vaccinated people in closed rooms without masks or physical distancing, they can meet in closed rooms with unvaccinated people from a single household without masks or physical distancing, if unvaccinated people are at low risk of severe illness, and they can skip quarantine and testing if you've been exposed to someone who has COVID-19 but is asymptomatic, but you still need to monitor symptoms for two weeks.
The CDC also noted that their travel recommendations haven't changed: They say people should postpone their trips and stay home.
The guide will continue to be updated, Walensky said Monday.
But some experts say the guide didn't go far enough.
"This is one of those examples where I think the CDC is being overly cautious in a way that defies common sense," ER Dr. Leana Wen told CNN on Monday.
"It just doesn't make sense that you can't travel, especially if you can reunite with your loved ones now, I think a lot of people are eager to see their grandchildren who they don't necessarily live with."
"I would actually go further and say that people who are fully vaccinated should be able to travel, they should be encouraged to travel," he added.
CNN's Virginia Langmaid, Jacqueline Howard, Jen Christensen, and Will Brown contributed to this report.