CDC Director Walensky on dropping COVID restrictions: ‘We’re not quite there yet’

Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky mentioned Tuesday that proper now just isn’t the time for state and native leaders to finish COVID-19 restrictions.

In an interview with WYPR, Walensky famous that whereas the company is “cautiously optimistic” about case numbers and hospitalizations trending downward, there are nonetheless a major variety of instances and hospitalizations compared to different pandemic peaks.

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“We are going to proceed to judge the science. However, proper now, we nonetheless have about 290,000 instances each single day. And, our hospitalization charges now are greater than they even had been on the peak of our delta surge. And so – on this second – whereas we’re wanting forward and planning forward, we are going to proceed to judge and comply with the science. Our suggestions are in line with encouraging college students to put on well-fitting masks,” she mentioned.

When requested about what she thinks concerning the strategy to loosen restrictions when it appears warranted and reinstate them ought to the necessity come up, Walensky mentioned it’s one thing value contemplating. 
 

“I feel as a normal rule that’s actually one thing that’s doubtlessly value contemplating,” she replied. “What I might say is, we’d disagree on the ‘when you’ll be able to’ half. When we’ve got a better variety of hospitalizations than we’ve had throughout prior peaks of surges, when we’ve got extra deaths at the moment than we’ve had within the prior peak of delta, I assume at 300,000 instances a day, I might simply say we’re not fairly there but.”

She echoed these feedback in a Tuesday interview with Reuters, saying “now just isn’t the second” to drop masks mandates.

Not too long ago, a number of state leaders throughout the nation have introduced plans to finish statewide college masks mandates by the top of February or March.

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College students and employees at public colleges in Massachusetts will now not be required to put on face coverings inside beginning Feb. 28, Gov. Charlie Baker and state schooling Commissioner Jeffrey Riley mentioned Wednesday.

Additionally on Wednesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced that the state will finish a COVID-19 mandate requiring face coverings in most indoor public settings, however will maintain masking guidelines in place in colleges for now.

California will finish its indoor masking requirement for vaccinated individuals subsequent week, although officers introduced Monday that masks are nonetheless the rule for schoolchildren. 

As well as, unvaccinated individuals nonetheless can be required to be masked indoors, and everybody – no matter vaccination standing – must put on masks in higher-risk areas like public transit and nursing properties.

The Golden State has seen a 65% drop in case charges because the peak through the wintertime omicron surge.

Walensky mentioned present CDC steering nonetheless recommends that every one colleges encourage college students to put on a well-fitting masks whereas indoors and that individuals masks up in public indoor settings in areas of upper or substantial transmission.

“If we are able to get an increasing number of kids vaccinated, drive the variety of instances down, then we’ve got a a lot better likelihood of creating certain that our colleges can stay open when masks come off,” Walensky defined. 

The Related Press contributed to this report.