The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says most people don’t need to wear masks indoors any longer. That includes schools.
The CDC says that about 38 percent of Americans live in a county where indoor masks are advised. Previously, the agency said about 99 percent lived in high-risk areas of the U.S. This new guidance by the CDC reflects a complete change in the federal metrics used to determine risk. The new guidelines are based on number of cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days, new hospital admissions, and percent of hospital beds used by patients with Covid-19.
The CDC’s website shows list of US counties and their current Covid-19 levels, a chart that indicates that only southern Southeast Alaska is in the “high” zone for Covid — Prince of Wales, Wrangell, Petersburg, and Ketchikan.
The federal mask recommendation has been largely ignored by many Americans in recent weeks. In Anchorage, Friday was the last day for masks to be mandatory in the public schools.
The easing of the mask recommendations by the federal government doesn’t apply to airplanes or other modes of transportation. On March 18, the federal mandate for masks on public transportation is set to expire, but it’s uncertain if the Transportation Safety Administration will continue the policy that has led to an epidemic of unruly behavior among passengers over the past 18 months. And the president has continued the “health emergency” status for the country, which gives him broad powers.
In spite of the new recommendation, the leftists members of the Anchorage Assembly continued to wear masks at its meeting on Friday regarding redistricting.
