With most Americans having obtained a certain level of protection against advanced sickness from infection, the Center for Disease Control and Protection altered the public health guidelines to loosen many of the regulations in public spaces, the Washington Post reports.
About four out of five Americans have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, so the CDC is lifting requirements about screening students at schools or employees at jobs. And things like social distancing and quarantining unvaccinated people will also be loosened.
“The current conditions of this pandemic are very different from those of the last two years,” CDC epidemiologist Greta Massetti said Thursday. With 78% of the population vaccinated and an unknown number of others who have been exposed to the virus, most Americans are not at significant risk of developing severe cases of Covid.
The CDC will now focus on protecting vulnerable populations such as people with compromised immune systems, the elderly, people with pre-existing conditions, and those who are unable to get vaccinated.
The change in guidance is based upon current conditions and spread of the virus, with the seven-day running average of new confirmed cases under 100,000 and the number of daily fatalities holding under 400. Should significant waves of infections or a more dangerous variant emerge in the fall or winter, the CDC will reinstitute the regulations.