Face-covering remains mandatory for people age 5 and older in health care, long-term care and correctional facilities. Shoppers are required to wear face masks in Arlington, Virginia. Gov. While mask mandates for buses, planes and trains dropped nationally last week, due to a federal judge's ruling, and Illinois followed suit after dropping masking requirements in most stores and . The Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Gov. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many public health experts say the shift in guidance makes sense in the context of declining case rates and the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines. Yes, employers can be held to have a duty to provide actual PPE to staff if work conditions (including an . Kate Brown lifted the state's mask mandate March 12. The new guidance comes as the U.S. has recorded a weeks-long slowdown in the pace of COVID-19 hospitalizations and nursing home infections in most parts of the country. Over the course of the pandemic, 39 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia had orders at some point broadly requiring people to wear masks in public. Unfortunately, some patients are unable to safely wear a mask in healthcare settings and/or may refuse, citing a disability or health issue, personal beliefs regarding the utility of a mask, or a perceived civil right. Office is defined as "a health care practice setting not "As the virus continues to circulate in our communities, we must focus our metrics beyond just cases in the community and direct our efforts toward protecting people at high risk for severe illness and preventing COVID-19 from overwhelming our hospitals and our health care system," said Walensky. CBS News reporter covering public health and the pandemic. Learn more:Read North Carolina'sface-covering guidance. It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you wear a mask. Masking is still mandatory in "congregate settings" such as hospitals, long-term care facilities and detention centers. Patients with a clinical indication that recommends they should not wear a face mask, such as claustrophobia, will not be required to wear one. Mondaq uses cookies on this website. Learn more:Read New Jersey's mask guidelines. Ralph Northam's order ending statewide COVID-19 restrictions took effect May 28, 2021, two weeks after he effectively lifted Virginia's universal mask mandate to align with CDC guidance at the time. As of April 18, 2022, as a result of a court order, the CDC Order requiring masks on public transportation and at transportation hubs is no longer in effect. If you visit someone who might get very sick from COVID-19, wear a mask when you are with them. According to the CDC, people in areas deemed to have low community levels about 29.5% of the populationno longer need to wear a mask indoors. On all forms of public transit, including trains, buses, shuttle buses . Still, he says, it's a reasonable time in the pandemic to be stepping down precautions like mask-wearing. The state's two largest counties, Montgomery and Prince George's, lifted indoor mask orders in late February, and the city of Baltimore did so March 1. Learn more:Read Montana's mask guidance. for medical offices, including that patients and their companions Gov. Wash or sanitise your hands before putting on or taking off your mask. Masking is encouraged for Kentuckians when they are with people from outside their household and required for adults in some health care, day care and early education settings. Learn more: Read Michigan's updated mask guidance. ol{list-style-type: decimal;} Learn more:Read the Virginia Department of Health's mask guidance. Employees may make a request for a reasonable accommodation under the ADA or a religious accommodation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (such as a modified mask that can be worn with a religious . Outside of communities seeing "high" levels of COVID-19 transmission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ended a blanket plea for Americans in hospitals and nursing homes to wear masks indoors. That order . CDC relaxes Covid guidance allowing most people to remove masks indoors. On May 13th, 2021 , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made significant changes to their guidance for mask-wearing based on accumulating data about COVID-19 infections in vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The Texas Medical Board has taken a different approach, adopting an emergency rule in April that sets minimum COVID-19 standards, including requiring doctors and their patients to wear masks. Youll only need to do it once, and readership information is just for authors and is never sold to third parties. All Federal employees, onsite contractors, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a high-quality mask inside of Federal buildings in areas where the COVID-19 community level is high, or where required by local mask mandates, as further explained below. Masks are not required for vaccinated shoppers in Costco, the company said. Kansas City and surrounding Jackson County lifted general mask orders in November 2021. The rule mandated masking at large indoor businesses and venues but gave smaller establishments an option to require either face-covering or proof of vaccination. Masks remain mandatory for people ages 5 and older in state-licensed or -certified health care facilities, including long-term care facilities. [CDATA[/* >