A timeline of the CDC’s advice on face masks
LA TimesThe story of mask requirements in the United States has had many twists and turns since the early days of the pandemic, when the U.S. surgeon general urged Americans to “STOP BUYING MASKS!” Since then, government and public health leaders have urged us to wear face masks even when walking around our neighborhoods alone, and told us to keep wearing them even after receiving the protection of highly effective vaccines. “They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!” March 24, 2020 Even as the coronavirus spreads across the United States — shutting down businesses, sporting events and schools — the CDC’s advice around masking remains unequivocal : Healthy people who do not work in the healthcare sector and are not taking care of an infected person at home do not need to wear masks. May 13, 2021 As the United States continues to see dramatic improvements in coronavirus case numbers, federal officials announce a sweeping relaxation of face mask guidelines that allow fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks in most places — either outdoors or inside. July 27, 2021 With the highly transmissible Delta variant fueling yet another increase in coronavirus cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths, the CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging.