COVID-19: Schools in US must continue using masks for the 2020-21 academic year, says CDC

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday informed that schools in the US should continue to use masks for the 2020-21 academic year. This must be followed as all students will not be fully vaccinated within the said term.

The CDC in its latest guidelines stated that all kindergarten through grade 12 schools "should implement and layer prevention strategies and should prioritise universal and correct use of masks and physical distancing". The recommendation comes after the agency on Thursday claimed that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks outdoors and can avoid wearing them indoors in most places.

Testing to identify individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination for teachers and staff provide additional layers of COVID-19 protection in schools. The CDC said masks should be worn at all times by all people in school facilities and buses while maintaining a six-foot distance between teachers and students. 

Fully vaccinated people no longer need their masks outdoors: CDC

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday announced that people who have been fully vaccinated (both doses) against COVID-19 no longer need their masks indoors and outdoors. Additionally, it also recommended that fully immunised people could also skip social distancing at public places, allowing Americans to engage in close encounters for the first time in months.

As per CDC, the relaxation would encourage people to get their shots and mark towards returning normalcy in the country. According to a guideline published on its website, the CDC said that if people are fully vaccinated, they can resume their activities without any further restrictions before the pandemic. It read:

Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribe, or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.

Soon after the announcement was made, President Joe Biden also made a rare unmasked appearance at the White House dubbing the update as a significant 'milestone'. 

As of May 16 (IST), at least 256,126,513 or more than 47 per cent of the US has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines while 118,987,308 or 35.8 per cent of them have been fully vaccinated and 153,949,261 persons have been vaccinated with at least one dose.

Till now, 32,643,851 COVID-19 cases have been detected in the country.