As vaccinations for Covid-19 became more and more common, the CDC updated their guidelines. There were different guidelines for people who were vaccinated than there were for people who were unvaccinated. Those who were fully vaccinated were told that it was no longer necessary to wear a face mask inside since the vaccine would protect them from getting Covid.

The delta variant of Covid-19 is quickly becoming the dominant variant in the United States. Vaccines may not be as effective against delta as they are against the original strain. For example, early data in Israel shows that the Pfizer vaccine might only be about 39% effective against the delta variant of the virus.

With the rise of delta and the lowering of masks, experts worry that a new spike in Covid cases might arise in the near future, especially with many schools starting soon and businesses bringing back employees who were working remotely during the past year.

The CDC is considering changing the mask guidelines. Instead of telling vaccinated people they don’t need to wear masks inside, the new guidelines will most likely advise all people regardless of vaccine status to wear a mask inside in Covid hot spots.

On Sunday, Dr. Fauci said reversing course on the mask guidelines was “under active consideration.” He told CNN, “It’s a dynamic situation. It’s a work in progress, it evolves like in so many other areas of the pandemic. You’ve got to look at the data.”

The guidelines set by the CDC are just that – guidelines. They are not law. It is up to each state, county and city to decide whether or not to enforce a mask mandate.

Even before the CDC started thinking about recommending masks for vaccinated people again, some locations already reintroduced mask mandates. For example, in Los Angeles county in California, everyone is currently required to wear a face mask inside. There is also a mask mandate in Clark County, Nevada, as well as in Berkley, California. Clear across the country, in Provincetown, Massachusetts, residents are also required to wear masks inside.

Do you think more places should require people to wear face masks inside even if they are fully vaccinated?