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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, citing the high transmissibility of the Delta variant of Covid-19, on Tuesday recommended that vaccinated individuals wear masks indoors in certain parts of the country and that K-12 schools adopt universal masking policies for students, visitors, staff and teachers regardless of vaccination status.
The CDC reversal comes as the Delta variant has upended recovery timelines with its highly contagious nature and ability to evade vaccines, though people who are inoculated still have significant protections against illness. The federal health agency said fully vaccinated individuals living in places where there is high or substantial Covid transmission should once again wear masks indoors and in public.
In May, the CDC said fully vaccinated people didn't need to wear mask or social distance inside or outside, in small or large settings. At the time, the decision represented the boldest step in America's march toward normalcy following Covid's assault on the country in March 2020.
Even with the new guidance, however, the CDC held firm to its decision that schools should reopen to in-person learning whether or not students and teachers are vaccinated.
According to the Wall Street Journal, there was disagreement within the White House on how to move forward, with some fearing that a reversal from the CDC would fuel doubt about the efficacy of the vaccines. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that the Delta variant's highly contagious nature forced the change. However, she also stressed that the vaccines have proven to save lives and prevent severe illness.
“The reality is we are dealing with a much different strain of this virus than we were even earlier in the spring,” she said. “What has not changed is the fact that people who are vaccinated have a huge deal of protection from serious illness, from hospitalization and from death.”
On Monday, Governor Albert Bryan said the reopening of schools to in-person learning, set for Aug. 9, would be delayed if Covid-19 cases continued to increase and arrived at 250 active infections.
The increase in cases would not only affect schools, the governor said, but could force the reimposing of restrictions in a bid to quell the virus's rise.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the V.I. Dept. of Health reported 177 active cases, down from 208 on Saturday, with 118 active cases on St. Thomas, fifty-seven on St. Croix and two on St. John.
On Monday night, D.O.H. identified the territory's 36th Covid-related death as a 50-year-old man from St. Croix.
