States and businesses said Friday that they largely dropped their mask requirements after a leading U.S. health agency announced that people fully vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19 could stop wearing face covers.
The governors of at least 10 states and officials from a number of retail giants such as Walmart said they would no longer need masks, at least for those fully vaccinated against the CCP virus.
Delaware Governor Democrat John Carney said residents will be able to attend as of Jan.
“It is clear that the COVID-19 vaccines are extremely safe and protect against infection and serious illness,” he said in a statement.
“Fully vaccinated Delaware people have significant protection from this virus and are comfortable getting back to the things they loved before this pandemic. For our neighbors who are not vaccinated, the message is clear. The COVID-19 vaccine is the best protection we have against the virus. Vaccination is the best protection for you and your loved ones. In the meantime, unvaccinated Delaware people, including children, should continue to wear masks in public places, ”he added.
Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Vermont, and Virginia have also relaxed or eliminated masking regulations. Some have also relaxed or lifted social distancing mandates.
“Today is the day so many of us have been waiting and working towards it. Finally we can clearly see the light at the end of this tunnel. Our long, hard-fought battle against the worst global pandemic in more than a century is finally drawing to a close, “Maryland Republican Governor Larry Hogan said at a news conference.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Thursday that they are withdrawing their strict masking guidelines. People who are fully vaccinated against the CCP virus are no longer required to wear masks indoors, the director said.
Fully vaccinated means that a person has received the one-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson or both doses of the vaccine from Moderna or Pfizer and two weeks have passed.
The CDC guidelines are non-binding, but are followed closely by many states across the country, although some governors had previously relaxed masking and similar COVID-fueled restrictions, citing the sharp drop in COVID-19 cases and other metrics as well the increase in the number of vaccinated.
Over 120 million Americans, or 36 percent of the population, will be fully vaccinated against the CCP virus by May 14.
President Joe Biden called the removal of mask mandates “Neanderthal thinking,” and senior health officials like Dr. Anthony Fauci condemned the easing by governors like Greg Abbott of Texas. But the states that relaxed or lifted the restrictions saw a decline in cases, which confused Fauci.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington on Friday that Biden “has been listening to the guidance of our health and medical experts and teams, and that’s what we are doing on this case,” when he responded to his previous criticism of the Removal was asked for mask requirements.
The CDC experts “were the ones who, based on their own data, determined what these guidelines would be and what the schedule would be,” she added.
CDC director Rochelle Walensky was on television just a day before the updated recommendations to defend the guidelines that fully vaccinated people were required to wear masks both indoors and in some outdoor situations.
New research into the vaccines’ effectiveness and the severity of COVID-19 in so-called breakthrough or fully vaccinated cases has forced the change, officials say.
Large retailers followed the CDC’s lead.
Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, Publix, and Trader Joe’s all announced they will not force fully vaccinated customers to wear masks in states where the covers are not required.
Costco said in an update similar to the other retailers that they are not looking for evidence of vaccination, but are hoping that customers will stick to the revised guidelines.
Walmart posted a note to inform its staff that they would also not have to wear masks unless they weren’t vaccinated.
Other companies like Target, CVS, Kroger, and Walgreens said their requirements will remain the same for now.
A handful of governors are not currently changing masking mandates.
“We have received and are reviewing the CDC’s newly revised guidelines on masking and social distancing for vaccinees,” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a statement.
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Zachary Stieber covers US news, including politics and legal proceedings. He started working for the Epoch Times as a New York Metro reporter.
