Why states are starting to lift mask mandates - Fact Check Team

This week, a wave of governors have announced plans to lift their mask mandates, but is it based on science or politics?

The Fact Check Team is going beyond the headlines to see what’s really behind the changes.

As the list of states ending mask mandates keeps growing, many leaders are acknowledging a new phase of the pandemic, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn’t changed its guidance just yet.

The CDC admits it’s tough to change mask guidance. Last May, the agency declared that vaccinated individuals did not need to wear a mask. That recommendation has changed.

“We really do have to look to our hospitalization rates and our death rates to look to when it's time to lift some of these mitigation efforts. We will continue to reevaluate and we know people are anxious,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.

Walensky also said that policies lifting mask mandates have to be made at a local level depending on case rates.

The lack of action by the Biden administration has drawn criticism.

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