Americans adapt to CDC's new mask guidelines - KOBI-TV NBC5 / KOTI-TV NBC2

(NBC) – New mask guidance from the CDC is meant to loosen restrictions and be a step toward normal for those who are fully vaccinated. Public health officials say last week’s sudden change is based on new research data but wearing a mask or not may still depend on the state where you live or the stores you want to shop in. This has really stirred up controversy and back-and-forth on both sides.

On the one hand, a lot of people are celebrating the CDC’s mask guidance that they can now get rid of the mask if they’re fully vaccinated. We had a week and in which people were out and about without a mask.

On the other hand, the nation’s biggest nurses’ union is suggesting it’s premature and puts lives at risk because two-thirds of the country is, so far, still not fully vaccinated

Nonetheless, it really depends on which state you’re in. Some have dropped the mask mandate, some others haven’t. It’s also going to depend on which county you’re in and which store you’re in.

Right now we’ve got major retailers like Walmart, Costco and Starbucks are dropping the mask mandate for vaccinated customers. Other companies including CVS, Target and JCPenney are keeping the mask requirements for now.

As it relates to children, if you have a child who is too young right now to get vaccinated, many health experts are suggesting they continue to wear masks and that you wear masks.

The data is as follows; 4 million kids have contracted COVID in total, only 300 have died and the chance of being hospitalized was less than 1% per child. So those numbers give comfort to some parents, other parents don’t like those numbers at all.

The bottom line, according to the experts, if you can wear a mask around a child while he or she is waiting to get vaccinated it’s just simply modeling good behavior and it may keep them safe as well.