CDC: Vaccinated should no longer wear masks in the US 1:44
New York (CNN) -
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that fully vaccinated people can be indoors and outdoors without wearing a mask, except when in healthcare settings, on public transportation, or in specific areas where masks are required.
When asked by CNN's chief media correspondent Brian Stelter about the role of the press in covering the return to normalcy, CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, said: 'We can report what the news is, but then we have to explain the relevance of them.
How and where to stop using a mask in the USA?
2:23
Gupta said the CDC "made a critical mistake by basically surprising everyone with a very significant change."
He added that just days before the announcement was made, he spoke with senior leaders at the CDC, who told him that wearing masks indoors would probably be the last thing to be phased out because "it's very effective and it's not that hard to do. to do in most situations: just put on a mask.
Another point of concern is the lack of guidance on how best to implement these new guidelines, and whether loosening restrictions could potentially increase the risk of infection for those who cannot yet be vaccinated and the immunosuppressed.
The companies and CDC guidelines on masks
Companies React to New CDC Guidance 0:41
The announcement created a ripple effect in the business world, prompting companies to announce that, in most cases, they would lift mask-wearing mandates for vaccinated clients.
Walmart, Trader Joe's and Costco, for example, no longer require vaccinated customers to wear masks in stores.
But Walmart sent a letter on Friday noting that "some city and state ordinances will also continue to require the use of a mask, and we will comply with those requirements."
After radical changes to the mask-wearing and social distancing guide for fully vaccinated people, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that the agency is calling for companies that help workers get vaccinated.
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"What we are saying to essential workers is that if those workers are vaccinated, they are safe," he said.
"We are really asking companies to work with their workers to make sure they have paid time off to get vaccinated so they can be safe."
- CNN's Naomi Thomas contributed to this report
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