New U.S. guidance allowing people to go without masks in most places provided one more topic of disagreement among Americans who have found little common ground throughout the pandemic.
Some cited caution and confusion, while others who have rarely worn masks rolled their eyes at the advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks outdoors and can mostly avoid wearing them indoors. The looser mask guidance does not apply to situations such as public transportation and prisons.
The CDC said the updated guidance would allow life to begin to return to normal and hopes it will prod more people to get vaccinated against an illness that has killed more than half a million Americans.