US CDC eases COVID-19 restrictions

NEW YORK－The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has eased mask recommendations for the bulk of the country under a new framework that immediately affects about 70 percent of US citizens.

"The new guidelines, which took effect Friday, reflect the administration's view that the United States has entered a different, potentially less dangerous phase of the pandemic," The Washington Post reported.

The new guidelines suggest that 70 percent of US citizens can now stop wearing masks and no longer need to keep social distance or avoid crowded indoor spaces. The change follows a relaxation of restrictions by most governors responding to nose-diving case counts and public pressure.

"The shift reflects the reality that after more than two years of living with the virus, most communities have greater protection against severe disease because of widespread immunity gained from both vaccinations and infections, as well as the increased availability of treatments, testing and higher quality masks," the report said.

Under the new framework, counties are guided to determine the need for restrictions after assessing three factors－new COVID-19 related hospital admissions over the previous week and the percentage of hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, as well as new cases per 100,000 people over the previous week.

Based on these factors, counties can calculate whether the risk to their residents is low, medium or high. According to the CDC, only areas of high risk should require everyone to wear a mask, but unvaccinated people should wear masks even in low-risk areas.

People in the US will still be required to wear face coverings on public transportation including buses, trains and planes, until a decision is made around March 18, when the order is set to expire.

The agency had endorsed universal masking in schools since July, regardless of virus levels in the community. But the new guidelines recommend masking in schools only in counties at high risk.

"The new guidelines are being released as the coronavirus is in retreat across the country," said The New York Times.

"We're well past the surge," Linsey Marr, an aerosol scientist at Virginia Tech, was quoted as saying. "We don't need to be operating in emergency mode anymore."

Most states have eased rules for mask-wearing, and some, such as New Jersey, have announced plans to lift mandates even in schools, and others are poised to end indoor mask mandates in the coming weeks.

Under the CDC's previous criteria, 95 percent of counties in the US were considered high risk, whereas under the new criteria, fewer than 30 percent of people are living in areas with a high level of risk.

Vaccination lag

The vaccination drive in the US is grinding to a halt, and lagging demand is especially stark in conservative states of the country where many people were uninterested in the shots, ABC News reported.

The average number of people in the US getting their first shot is down to about 90,000 a day, the lowest point since the first few days of the vaccination campaign in December 2020, said the report.

About 76 percent of the US population has received at least one shot. Less than 65 percent of all people in the US are fully vaccinated.

Vaccination incentive programs that gave away cash, sports tickets, beer and other prizes have largely gone away.

By Sunday, the country had more than 78.9 million cases with more than 948,200 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Last week, hundreds of truckers and their supporters set off from southern California on a convoy headed across the country toward the capital Washington to protest against pandemic restrictions.

Inspired by the demonstrations that crippled Canada's cities for several weeks, organizers of "The People's Convoy" want an end to mask mandates, vaccination requirements and business shutdowns.

The caravan, which began on Wednesday as a few dozen vehicles, was expected to take 11 days to reach the Washington, DC, area, arriving on March 5, though organizers say they do not intend to enter the city itself.

The US Pentagon has approved the deployment of 700 unarmed National Guard troops to the capital as it prepares for multiple trucker convoys.

Xinhua - Agencies