The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to loosen its indoor masking guidelines to states soon, according to several people familiar with the matter. The CDC director, Rochelle Walensky, is expected to discuss masking guidance Wednesday at a White House Covid 19 Response Team briefing.
The CDC is considering a new benchmark for masks, basing it on the level of severe disease and hospitalizations in a community, two people familiar with the situation said.
The White House has been eager for the CDC to give an update on its indoor mask recommendation, although it doesn't want to appear as though it is putting political pressure on the agency, said two people familiar with the plans, who weren't authorized to speak publicly.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment, and the CDC didn't respond immediately to a request for comment.
In recent weeks, new cases of the coronavirus have been dropping in every state except Maine. According to an NBC News tally, hospitalizations are declining nationwide.
New York and a number of other states led by Democratic governors – among the last to keep mask rules in place – have dropped mask mandates for private businesses over the last few weeks because of the omicron-fueled surge. California is ending indoor mask requirements for people who have been vaccinated. Several large companies, including Tyson Foods, are moving to relax mask rules for vaccinated employees.
Anthony Fauci, the White House's chief medical adviser, said on Tuesday on MSNBC that the CDC will continue to modify recommendations as the trajectory of cases goes downward.
The states making changes to mask rules is understandable, Fauci said. There is a feeling of need to return to normality at the local level. Senior administration officials asked Walensky to give an update on masks before President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on March 1, one of the people said.
The number of cases per 100,000 and the test positivity rate are two factors that the agency recommends universal indoor masking in areas with substantial or high transmission. According to the CDC data, the vast majority of counties in the U.S. fall under those criteria.
Walensky previously said mask policies should be made at local level based on factors such as vaccination rates and hospitalization. Most public health experts agree that universal masking is the most effective way to reduce Covid infections. Some states and local communities are moving their strategies after more vaccines and treatments have become available and the country is moving toward a new normal.