"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending “universal mask use” outside people’s homes as part of guidance published Friday aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus as the nation braces for what is expected to be the darkest period of the pandemic.
This is the first time the agency has advocated for universal mask use indoors. In its weekly Morbidity and Mortality report, the CDC warned that the United States has entered “a phase of high-level transmission” as colder weather and the ongoing holiday season push Americans inside, and said that “consistent and correct” use of face masks is critical to taming the virus.
“Compelling evidence now supports the benefits of cloth face masks for both source control (to protect others)” the report said, “and to a lesser extent, protection of the wearer.”
Mask use is most important in indoor spaces
where social distancing cannot be maintained, the CDC said in the report. The agency also recommended mask use at home when a member of the household has been infected or potentially exposed to the virus. It cited research that suggests roughly 50 percent of transmission of the coronavirus is spread through asymptomatic people."
Here is a direct link to the new CDC guidance.
This report describes the need for implementation and adherence to mitigation strategies to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission and deaths.
www.cdc.gov