U.S. tells vaccinated people in high COVID risk areas to mask again

In another setback, the White House on Tuesday also ordered all its staff to mask up again due to local transmission rates in Washington.

People vaccinated against COVID-19 in high-risk parts of the United States should resume wearing masks indoors, the top health authority said Tuesday, a major reversal in guidance that underscored the country’s struggle to suppress the Delta variant. President Joe Biden said the announcement showed that America needs to “do better” on vaccinations, adding that a vaccine mandate for the country’s more than two million federal workers was now “under consideration.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Rochelle Walensky cited new data that shows rare breakthrough cases involving Delta have an increased risk of onward transmission.