NEWS: CDC Recommending All People Wear Masks Indoors in High-Risk Areas

We have seen some major shifts in terms of health and safety regulations over the past year and a half!

Health and Safety Sign from a few months ago.

As case numbers first started to climb, things got very strict with mask-wearing, closures, and new guidelines. Then, we recently started to see things relax a bit as more people got vaccinated. But now, recommendations are changing once again as case numbers rise due to the COVID-19 Delta variant.

According to CNN, the CDC announced in a briefing today that they now recommend mask-wearing for all people, regardless of vaccination status, in areas where there is a “high” or “substantial” transmission of COVID-19.

Former Disney World safety signage

Nearly 2/3 of the counties in the U.S. fall into the “high” or “substantial” categories, including almost all of the counties in Florida. (The map below represents data from July 24th and since then, Glades County has moved to the orange category.) At this time, 46% of counties are in the “high” category of risk, and 17% are in the “substantial” category of risk.

©Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Back on May 13th, the CDC released guidance allowing vaccinated people to unmask, but at the time, the Delta variant only represented 1% of cases. Now it represents at least 83% of infections. The country’s level of vaccination is also lower than what the CDC initially expected by this point, and most of the transmission is occurring in areas where vaccination levels are low.

©Jeff Vahle

For those who are unvaccinated, the CDC still recommends that you wear masks until fully vaccinated. It’s also recommended that everyone who works in, attends, or visits a school wears a mask while indoors.

Face mask guidelines from a few months ago in Disney World.

It’s unclear yet what this will mean for theme parks in the Central Florida area, but Disney World and Universal Orlando have been following the guidance of the CDC since the pandemic began. We’ll make sure to keep you updated if they change their health and safety policies!