It's safe to unmask in many places, says the CDC. These experts aren't quite ready
Doctors and health researchers are looking to testing rates, case rates – and intuition – to determine when they'll feel comfortable mingling maskless indoors.
Friday's change in masking guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes as many states and cities across the U.S. are starting to – or already have – ease up on mask mandates.
According to the new CDC metrics, about 70% of the U.S. population lives in a place where they no longer need to wear a mask to protect themselves and others. Their calculation is based on three variables: rates of new cases, new hospital admissions and hospital capacity.
But infectious disease specialists surveyed by NPR say they're not ditching their masks just yet. Many still plan to wear them because they live in a part of the country where the coronavirus is still spreading widely – at least for the
