CDC now recommends universal mask use when you’re inside anywhere but your home

Friday’s latest CDC guidance for public health contained a new recommendation to fight COVID-19.

The CDC is now recommending the “universal use of face masks.” This applies to indoor locations that are not your home, unless a member of your household is infected or has had recent potential COVID-19 exposure.

[Virginia expecting to have enough coronavirus vaccine for 96% of top-priority groups before 2021]

In the 10 months since the first confirmed case of the coronavirus was reported in the United States on January 20, 2020, about 13.8 million cases and 272,525 deaths have been reported across the country.

At this time, the CDC estimates that about half of new infections are transmitted by those who have no symptoms.

The country as a whole has “entered a phase of high-level transmission where a multipronged approach to implementing all evidence-based public health strategies at both the individual and community levels is essential,” according to the CDC.

[Virginia sees 2,877 new coronavirus cases, now reporting 247,380 statewide]

In its guidance, the CDC laid out 10 strategies to reduce transmissions:

1. Universal face mask use
2. Maintaining physical distance from other persons and limiting in-person contacts
3. Avoiding nonessential indoor spaces and crowded outdoor spaces
4. Increasing testing to rapidly identify and isolate infected persons
5. Promptly identifying, quarantining and testing close contacts of persons with known COVID-19
6. Safeguarding persons most at risk for severe illness or death from infection
7. Protecting essential workers with provision of adequate PPE and safe work practices,
8. Postponing travel
9. Increasing room air ventilation and enhancing hand hygiene and environmental disinfection
10. Achieving widespread availability and high community coverage with effective COVID-19 vaccines.