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Outdoor Masks: Should We Still Wear Them Outdoors?

2021-04-23T14:21:58.150Z


Many wonder if they should still wear a mask outdoors after getting vaccinated. This is what some health experts say.


Do you still have to wear a mask in open spaces?

0:40

(CNN) -

«I'm vaccinated and I'm out.

Do I really still need to wear a mask? "

«If I am running and I am not around many people.

Do I need a mask?

"If I walk on the sidewalk and pass someone, should I put on a mask?" As the warmer months arrive and the percentage of people vaccinated gradually increases, these are some of the questions that an increasing number are asking of Americans.

If you're vaccinated, "I'd say, for the most part, you don't need to wear a mask outdoors," Dr. Sanjay Gupta said Thursday on CNN's "New Day."

That's because it is known that most viral transmission does not occur outdoors.

A November review in the

Journal of Infectious Diseases

found that the odds of viral transmission are 18.7 times higher indoors than outdoors, and less than 10% of the COVID-19 infections studied occurred outdoors.

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Nooshin Razani, one of the authors and associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco, told

Slate

that the actual number of outdoor transmission cases was "probably less" than 10%.

Current guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) makes it clear that outdoor masks may not be needed.

"Masks may not be necessary when you are outside alone, away from other people or with people who live in your home," they say.

The CDC does not say anything specific for vaccinated people.

On Thursday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the agency is considering revising its mask guide.

"We will examine the question of wearing face masks outdoors, but also in the context of the fact that we still have people dying from covid-19," Walensky said on NBC's "Today" show.

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To use or not to use a mask?

As with most discussions of covid-19, the evidence on whether it is advisable to wear masks outdoors is not black and white, and should be based on a variety of factors, such as vaccination status and rates. community transmission.

"If you're vaccinated and you're not in a vulnerable category, it's probably okay not to wear a mask outdoors," Linsey Marr, an expert on airborne virus transmission at Virginia Tech, told CNN in an email.

For unvaccinated people, Marr recommends masks in situations where people are grouped closely together, such as in a bar, a crowd, or a line.

"If you are not vaccinated and you constantly pass people close enough that you can reach out and touch them, then you should wear a mask," Marr told CNN.

Vaccinated or not, an important factor in deciding not to wear a mask outdoors is the levels of transmission and positivity in your area, Gupta said.

The real question you should try to answer is: what is the probability that someone else's air is breathing?

That's it, basically.

The number of people, the type of environment and what is the general viral spread in your community, "said Gupta.

Mask use mandates in US states

Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, told CNN's Abby Phillip on Inside Politics Sunday that he hopes that wearing a mask will soon become an indoor thing.

"I hope that, over the next few weeks, states will begin to remove the outdoor mask mandates," Jha said.

And he added that most infections occur indoors, so people will need to wear masks indoors for a while longer.

Several states like Texas and Alabama have already eliminated mask mandates statewide.

Some others plan to relax the requirements for outdoor masks.

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Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee announced Thursday that starting May 7, masks will only be required indoors or when it is not possible to maintain at least one meter of distance outdoors.

Covid-19 restrictions end in Connecticut on May 19, and Governor Ned Lamont advises people to be cautious and wear masks indoors.

“There will be no requirement regarding masks in outdoor spaces.

Still, we highly recommend wearing the mask indoors, unless you've been vaccinated we'll find a balance there, ”Lamont said.

Covid-19 mask

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-04-23

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