Easing mask mandate draws objections

▪ The CDC states that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting except where required by law.

▪ The announcement set off public confusion and drew objections, even as some states and businesses implemented the guidance.

▪ National Nurses United (NNU) Executive Director Bonnie Castillo stated, “This newest CDC guidance is not based on science, does not protect public health, and threatens the lives of patients, nurses, and other frontline workers across the country.”

▪ Taylor Gage, Office of Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, tweeted they expect better communication from the CDC when they are going to make policy changes.

▪ Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC Director, in a series of interviews with news shows, defended the CDC’s new guidance, saying it came due to rapidly declining cases of Covid, the ready availability of vaccines, and emerging science.