Carolyn Crist
Federal guidelines on indoor mask use may change soon, said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Sunday.
He was asked if it's time to start relaxing indoor mask requirements.
"I think so, and I think you'll probably see that as we move forward and more people get vaccinated," Fauci said on ABC News' This Week .
Nearly 150 million adults in the U.S., or about 58% of the adult population, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the latest CDC count updated Sunday. Approximately 113 million adults, or 44%, are considered fully vaccinated.
"The CDC will be, you know, almost in real time... updating their recommendations and guidelines," Fauci said.
Last month, the CDC relaxed its guidance for those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Those who have received a vaccine do not need to wear a mask outdoors or at small indoor gatherings with other vaccinated people, but both vaccinated and unvaccinated people are still advised to wear masks in indoor public spaces.
"We need to start being more liberal as we vaccinate more people," Fauci said. "As more people are vaccinated, the number of cases per day will absolutely decrease."
The United States is averaging 43,000 cases per day, he said, adding that cases need to be "much, much lower." As the number of cases decreases and vaccinations increase, the risk of infection will drop dramatically both indoors and outdoors, he said.
However, even after the pandemic, wearing masks could become a seasonal habit, Fauci said Sunday on NBC News ' Meet the Press . .
"I think people have gotten used to the fact that wearing masks, clearly if you look at the data, decreases respiratory illnesses. We've had virtually no flu season this year," he said.
"Therefore, it is conceivable that as we move forward, in a year or two or more, during certain seasonal periods when you have respiratory-borne viruses like the flu, people might choose to wear masks to decrease the likelihood that we will spread these respiratory-borne diseases," he said.
On Sunday, Fauci was asked about indoor mask guidelines after former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said face mask requirements should be relaxed.
"Certainly outdoors, we shouldn't put limits on gatherings anymore," Gottlieb said on CBS News ' Face the Nation .
"In states where prevalence is low, vaccination rates are high, we have good testing and we are identifying infections, I think we could start to lift these indoor restrictions as well, broadly," he said.
Lifting pandemic-related restrictions in areas where they are no longer needed could also encourage people to reimpose them if cases surge during future waves, such as this fall or winter, Gottlieb said.
At the same time, Americans should continue to follow CDC guidelines and wait for new guidance before changing mask use indoors, said Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 response coordinator, on CNN 's State of the Union . Sunday.
“We all want to return to a normal lifestyle,” he said. “I think we’re on the path to doing that, but stay disciplined and let’s take advantage of the new privilege of being vaccinated and not wearing masks outdoors, for example, unless you’re in a crowded place.”
Zients noted President Joe Biden's goal of having 70% of adults receive at least one dose of vaccine by July 4.
"As we move toward that 70% goal, there will be more and more benefits to getting vaccinated," he said. "And if you're not vaccinated, you're not protected."
Sources:
ABC News: "Transcript of 'This Week' 5-9-21: Dr. Anthony Fauci, Fatima Goss Graves, Diane Swonk and Lareina Yee"