The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced on July 27, 2021, that it will adjust its advice to recommend that vaccinated people in substantial or high transmission areas of COVID-19 (defined below) wear masks in indoor public spaces. This guidance will substantially alter the CDC’s May 13 guidance that largely exempted fully vaccinated individuals from the indoor mask requirement. There has been no change in the outdoor masking recommendations at this time. In changing its masking recommendations, the CDC asserts that current scientific information indicates that the delta variant can be spread despite vaccine status, warranting an adjustment to its prior guidance.
This update can impact the workplace as employers are struggling to mitigate the current vaccination gaps in the workplace. The challenge is that there are still many employees who are non-vaccinated, and the Delta variant will impact vaccinated and non-vaccinated employees. I know as a compliance officer that there will be what I call a mixed population of employees. It is more critical now to educate employees and leadership on best practices to manage the COVID-19 everchanging guidelines.
