As we approach the year of the COVID-19 pandemic – and more and more Americans are getting vaccinated – many people begin to wonder how much longer we will have to wear face masks in public.
Some states, including Montana, Iowa, North Dakota, Mississippi and Texas, have recently announced the end of their mask tenure.
But not wearing a mask at this time is “a very bad idea, especially with the spread,” says Richard Watkins, MD, an infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at Northeast Ohio University School of Medicine.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) further recommends that people over the age of 2 wear a mask in public around people outside their household – which raises the question: When should we realistically stop wearing face masks? ? And will they become the new normal during the cold and flu season? Here’s what experts in infectious diseases know so far.
When can we safely stop wearing face masks?
It’s “hard to say,” given that the end of regular mask wear is tied to the end of the pandemic, says Dr. Watkins. But, he adds, “if and when we get the immunity of the herd, wearing a routine mask can probably be stopped.” (Herd immunity means that the majority of the population is immune to an infectious disease, providing indirect protection to those who are not immune to the disease, such as newborns or vulnerable people who cannot be vaccinated because of health risks.)
Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently told CNN that it is “possible” for public health officials to recommend masks in 2022. However, he said, life should look more normal until then, adding, “We will have a significant degree of normalcy beyond the terrible burden we have all gone through in the last year.”
Doctors agree that masks will probably be recommended for a while. “Prevention of infection remains the best way to reduce illness and death, and the best prevention comes from wearing a mask and social distancing,” says Lewis Nelson, MD, president of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. “Until we have better information about the development of viral strains and the effectiveness of current or future vaccines, we need to wear masks in many of our interpersonal interactions.”
Some type of mask guidance is likely to be in place until there is a “sufficient decrease in the community spread of the virus,” says infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, MD, lead researcher at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. . “It could be the end of 2021, because more people have access to the vaccine.”
Even if you have been completely vaccinated, the CDC still recommends that you wear a mask in public, as it is unclear whether vaccinated individuals can still transmit COVID-19 to others who have not yet received the vaccine.
As for the actual mask mandates, “this will be done from state to state,” says Dr. Adalja. But as the spread of COVID-19 declines in some areas, mask warrants may eventually disappear, he notes.
Will face masks be recommended after the COVID-19 pandemic?
Luis AlvarezGetty Images
It is possible, especially since it is shown that masks prevent infection. There was virtually no flu season this year – data from the CDC found that there had been only 1,500 clinically diagnosed flu cases since September. This is a huge decrease compared to last year’s flu season, which recorded about 56 million cases.
Because of this, experts say that masks could have power – at least during the cold and flu season. “Masks were common in pre-COVID Asia, so I expect more people in the US to feel comfortable wearing them after the pandemic,” says Dr. Watkins.
Dr. Adalja points out that it has always been recommended that people wear a mask if they have a respiratory virus, even before the pandemic. “That won’t change, but more people are more likely to join,” he says.
And some people may still wear masks in public, such as crowded areas and on public transportation, simply because they have seen that masks can work to help prevent disease, notes Dr. Adalja.
For now, doctors say, keep masking yourself until public health officials give the green light to Americans to go out in public without one.
This item is correct from the time of pressing. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves rapidly and the scientific community’s understanding of the new coronavirus develops, some information may have changed since the last update. Although we aim to keep all stories up to date, please visit the online resources provided by CDC, WHICH, and yours local public health department to be informed about the latest news. Always talk to your doctor for professional medical advice.
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