More than 1 in 2 Americans now live in an area where CDC urges indoor masking to curb COVID-19 surges

More than half of Americans now live in communities where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges indoor masking and other measures to curb a surge in COVID-19, according to figures published Thursday by the agency. 

Fifty-five percent of the country's population now live in areas of "high" COVID-19 Community Levels, up from 32% last week, according to the CDC's weekly update. Another 30% are living in counties deemed to be "medium" risk.

At "high" levels, the CDC urges Americans to wear masks and "consider avoiding non-essential indoor activities in public where you could be exposed," among other changes it advises to slow  a wave of infections and hospitalizations. The threshold also triggers additional restrictions at an array of federal facilities, though many local health officials have so far been wary of reimposing mandates.