CDC revises mask guidelines, says 3 in 10 Americans should still mask indoors

Close to 3 in 10 Americans should continue wearing masks in indoor public areas, including schools, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday, based on new guidance that incorporates federal COVID-19 data from hospitals. 

The agency's new recommendations come as a growing number of places have already moved to lift mask requirements, as cases plummeted in the wake of the Omicron variant wave last month. The changes represent one of the largest shifts in the agency's COVID-19 guidance in months, since the CDC said last year that even vaccinated Americans should wear masks indoors in areas deemed by the agency to be at "substantial" or "high" levels of transmission. 

Now, Americans in parts of the country deemed to have "low" levels of the disease — currently about 29.5% of the population — no longer need to wear masks indoors, according to the CDC's new framework. Residents of counties at "medium" risk — around 42.2% of the country's population – should wear masks if they are at heightened risk of severe disease, like those who have compromised immune systems.