The extensive repeal of the mask recommendation for corona vaccinated people in the USA was considered a milestone in the fight against the pandemic.
The delta variant now forces the experts to row back.
New York - In a U-turn because of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, the US health authority CDC recommends wearing masks again in the future.
In some parts of the country, where the virus is spreading particularly strongly, people who have been completely vaccinated should also cover their mouths and noses in public spaces, as the authority announced.
This also applies to schools.
US President Joe Biden called for the new guidelines to be observed.
"More vaccinations and the wearing of masks in the areas hardest hit by the Delta variant will allow us to avoid the kind of lockdowns, closings, school closings and disruptions we faced in 2020." The US would not to revert to these measures.
In May, the CDC no longer considered wearing a mask indoors for a fully vaccinated person to be necessary for the vast majority of situations.
The CDC only makes recommendations.
Ultimately, the US states make their own decisions.
"Majority of transmission by unvaccinated people"
Information also contributed to the new assessment that suggests a significant probability of the virus being passed on to vaccinated persons. CDC director Rochelle Walensky emphasized, however, "that we believe that the vast majority of transmission takes place in and through unvaccinated people (...)".
The number of new cases has recently risen particularly sharply in many southern US states such as Florida, Missouri and Arkansas. The vaccination rate is particularly low there. Just under 50 percent of all Americans - 163 million people - are fully vaccinated. That is significantly less than the government had targeted for this point in time. Unlike the number of new infections, the number of new deaths per day is still relatively low at just under 300. In December and January this number was regularly more than 3000. dpa
