The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its guidance against COVID-19 for summer camps, announcing Friday that vaccinated staff members and children do not need to wear face coverings.
The CDC previously said that all staffers and campers wear masks, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) referred to those guidelines as “unworkable summer camp restrictions.”
Current guidelines say masks only need to be worn in areas or businesses that still have mask mandates. Social distancing is also no longer necessary for the fully vaccinated.
The guidance surrounding summer camps follows the CDC’s recommendations that vaccinated people do not need to wear face coverings in most settings, which was announced earlier this month.
Glad to see sensible new guidance from CDC for masks and summer camp! Indoors: masks if unvaccinated and >2 yr old. Outdoors: generally no masks, but yes in areas of high transmission, unvaccinated, and crowded or close contact. https://t.co/lT6YACFeMm HT @apoorva_nyc
— Linsey Marr (@linseymarr) May 28, 2021
The updated guidelines were made as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths have been going down across the country as vaccinations increase.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 12 to 15. Anyone younger than 12 cannot receive the vaccine and the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are not allowed to be administered to children.
The CDC said that summer camps may choose to require masks if they cannot verify who is vaccinated.