Americans living in areas seeing new surges of Covid-19 have been advised to wear masks indoors again - even if they are fully vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made the announcement on Tuesday, citing the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. There were 89,418 new cases on Monday, Johns Hopkins University reported.
Masking has been a controversial subject in the US, and one politicised since the start of the pandemic. The updated guidance says in public indoor settings, everyone should wear masks to prevent the spread of the Delta variant. Notably, this includes students and staff at schools, where masking has been a contentious issue.
In a statement following the announcement, President Joe Biden said masking students "is inconvenient" but would allow them to learn alongside classmates "with the best available protection". In recent weeks, around 97% of patients admitted to hospital due to the virus in the US were unvaccinated. As of mid-July, just under half of the country's population has been fully vaccinated. While some, like children and people with compromised immune systems, are unable to get the vaccines, many Americans are hesitant to get the jabs.
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