CDC New COVID-19 Guidance Drops Mask Recommendation for More Than 90 Percent of American Population

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released new COVID-19 guidance that could help the public in determining whether to ditch their masks.

Data released by the CDC Thursday showed that COVID-19 levels had dropped significantly enough that more than 90 percent of the American population can go without masks, NBC News reported.

According to the updated data, nearly everyone in the U.S. lives in areas with low to medium risk for COVID-19. The CDC now considers hospitalizations and hospital capacity, in addition to infection numbers, as key metrics in determining COVID-19 community levels.

The new CDC guideline applies to everyone, including children in school and unvaccinated people. However, the guidance noted that people who remain at higher risk for the disease should continue to take extra precautions, including mask-wearing.

The guidance does not apply to airports, airplanes, buses, and trains, where federal rules still require all travelers to wear masks. It will remain in effect until later this month, according to White House COVID Response Coordinator Jeff Zients.

New COVID-19 Guidance of CDC

The new CDC COVID-19 guidance is broken into three color-coded levels. People in green and yellow counties do not need to wear masks as they have low and medium COVID-19 levels, respectively.

Meanwhile, people in yellow counties who are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19 should consult their doctors regarding mask-wearing or take other precautions, CNBC News reported.

People in red counties with high COVID levels are still recommended to wear masks indoors in public places despite their vaccination status. The CDC noted that less than 10 percent of the U.S. population now lives in such counties.

CDC Advised Public to Check Its Website

People can check which counties they belong to on CDC's website. The U.S. reported an average of nearly 58,000 new infections on Wednesday compared to the peak of more than 802,000 on January 15.

In addition, hospitalizations are down 77 percent from the peak level during the Omicron variant spread. According to data from the Health and Human Services Department, more than 35,000 people were hospitalized with COVID this week, which was decreased from nearly 153,000 on January 20.

Most states have already eased rules for mask-wearing, such as New Jersey. According to The New York Times, the states have already announced plans to lift mandates even in schools.

The CDC was sharply scrutinized for lifting mask restrictions too soon last year. It was at the time when the Delta variant of the virus had spread across the nation.

Many public health experts support the current easing of mask guidelines. Public health experts noted that the shift in guidance makes sense regarding the declining case rates and availability of COVID vaccines.

In a press briefing last week, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said they wanted to give people a break from things like mask-wearing, NPR reported.

Walensky noted that the metrics must be focused beyond the cases in the community and direct efforts toward protecting people at high risk for severe illness while preventing the virus from overwhelming the health care system.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: CDC Relaxes Covid Guidance Allowing Most People to Remove Masks Indoors - From NBC News