As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations fall and certain states and localities drop mask mandates, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its mask guidance on February 25, 2022, dropping public indoor mask recommendations for the majority of groups of individuals.

The CDC’s new guidance reflects a shift in the way the agency is analyzing data to determine mitigation strategies. The agency’s goals are to direct efforts toward protecting high-risk individuals and preventing COVID-19 from overwhelming healthcare systems. Previous CDC guidance classified counties on levels of transmission based on cases and positive test rates. The new “COVID-19 Community Levels” metrics classify counties based on new COVID-19 hospitalizations, hospital capacity, and new COVID-19 cases. The CDC classified counties as high, medium, or low. While under the old metrics, nearly all U.S. residents lived in areas of high or substantial transmission, under the new system, approximately 70 percent of U.S. residents live in a county with low or medium COVID-19 community levels.

The new recommendations are as follows:

• In low-level communities, individuals may choose to mask based on individual preference and risk.

• In medium-level communities, the CDC advises that those who are immunocompromised or otherwise at high risk for severe illness should mask. Those who live with or have social contact with high-risk individuals should consider masking around such individuals.

• In...

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