The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against COVID-19 transmission on Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter, meaning most Americans will no longer be advised to wear masks in indoor public settings.
Highlights
- The Biden administration will significantly loosen federal mask-wearing guidelines to protect against COVID-19 transmission on Friday.
- The change comes as the Biden administration moves to shift its focus to preventing serious illness and death from the virus, rather than all instances of infection.
- The new metrics will still consider caseloads, but also take into account hospitalizations and local hospital capacity, which have been markedly improved during the emergence of the omicron variant.
- That strain is highly transmissible, but indications are that it is less severe than earlier strains, particularly for people who are fully vaccinated and boosted.
- It is not immediately clear how the new guidance would affect U.S.
- federal mandates requiring face coverings on public transportation.