{"id":4891,"date":"2021-07-28T11:43:53","date_gmt":"2021-07-28T15:43:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/employerdefensereport.com\/?p=4891"},"modified":"2026-03-01T17:44:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T22:44:59","slug":"cdc-updates-mask-recommendations-for-fully-vaccinated-individuals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.connmaciel.com\/employer-defense-report\/cdc-updates-mask-recommendations-for-fully-vaccinated-individuals\/","title":{"rendered":"CDC Updates Mask Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated Individuals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>By Conn Maciel Carey\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.connmaciel.com\/covid-19-taskforce\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">COVID-19 Task Force<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>We have an unfortunate update to share out of the CDC today.\u00a0 Short story, do not throw away your \u201cMasks Required\u201d signs.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>What Did the CDC Change About Mask Recommendations?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Earlier today (July 27<sup>th<\/sup>), the CDC updated its \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/vaccines\/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html\">Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People<\/a>,\u201d in which the CDC recommends:<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/vaccines\/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-4853 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/oshadefensereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/CDC-July-Mask-Guidance.png?resize=454%2C407&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"454\" height=\"407\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>fully vaccinated people wear masks in public indoor settings in areas where there is\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view\">substantial or high transmission;<\/a><\/li>\n<li>fully vaccinated people can choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission, particularly if they are immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease from COVID-19, or if they have someone in their household who is immunocompromised, at increased risk of severe disease or not fully vaccinated; and<\/li>\n<li>fully vaccinated people who have a known exposure to a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case be tested 3-5 days after exposure, and wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Although the guidance speaks in absolutes, we think that the general limitations that have applied to all prior mask mandates throughout the pandemic continue to inform this updated guidance; i.e., \u201cpublic indoor settings\u201d is intended to cover locations where there is the potential for exposure to another individual, and not where an employee is \u201calone in a room\u201d or \u201calone in a vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Is Your County Experiencing Substantial or High Levels of Transmission?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To determine whether your workplace is in a county experiencing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view\">substantial or high transmission<\/a>\u00a0of COVID-19, the CDC uses two different indicators, the higher of which prevails:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>total new cases per 100,000 persons over the past seven days; and<\/li>\n<li>positive test rate over the past seven days.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>In terms of new cases, \u201cHigh\u201d community transmission occurs when there are 100+ new cases per 100,000 persons over the past week, and \u201csubstantial\u201d transmission occurs when there are 50-99 total new cases per 100,000 persons.<\/p>\n<p>For the positivity rate indicator, the CDC provides that \u201chigh\u201d community transmission occurs when 10%+ of tests are positive over the past seven days, and \u201csubstantial\u201d transmission occurs when 8-9.99% of tests are positive.\u00a0 Here is the CDC\u2019s indicator\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view\">table<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/oshadefensereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Capture-1.png?ssl=1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4846 aligncenter jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/oshadefensereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Capture-1.png?resize=611%2C218&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"611\" height=\"218\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here is a map that shows in\u00a0<strong>red<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>orange<\/strong>\u00a0the counties that are currently experiencing Substantial and High Transmission.\u00a0 It is approx. 66% of the country today.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4843 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oshadefensereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Capture.png?resize=583%2C366&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"583\" height=\"366\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Why is the CDC Backtracking on Mask Recommendations?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While it is very disappointing to move backwards, CDC Director Walensky did not rule that out when the CDC last updated its mask guidance in mid-May, when we were told that fully vaccinated individuals could remove their masks indoors. \u00a0At that time, Dr. Walensky warned that\u00a0<em>\u201cthe past year has shown us that this virus can be unpredictable, so if things get worse, there is always a chance we may need to make a change to these recommendations.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0And conditions have gotten worse.<\/p>\n<p>In mid-May, when the mask requirement was relaxed, approx. 60% of US counties were experiencing \u201csubstantial\u201d or \u201chigh\u201d levels of transmission, and the percentage change over 7 days of communities experiencing \u201chigh\u201d levels of transmission was\u00a0<strong>\u2013<\/strong>7.39%. \u00a0Importantly, at that time, the highly transmissible Delta variant represented only 1% of reported infections in the US. \u00a0Fast forward to today, approx. 66% of US counties have a \u201csubstantial\u201d or \u201chigh\u201d level of transmission, and the percentage change of communities in the \u201chigh\u201d category is +17.11% over the last week.\u00a0 Today, the Delta variant represents a staggering 83% of total cases.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Walensky further explained:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c<em>In recent days, [she has] seen new scientific data from recent outbreak investigations showing that that the Delta variant behaves differently from past strains of the COVID-19 virus. Information on the Delta variant from several states and other countries indicates that in rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant after vaccinations may be contagious and spread the virus to others. This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendations<\/em>.\u201d Dr. Walensky emphasized that vaccinated people represent\u00a0<em>\u201ca very small amount of transmission\u201d and that \u201cthe highest spread of cases and severe outcomes is happening in places with low vaccination rates and among unvaccinated people.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>We suspect there was more to this change in guidance than just the \u201c<em>rare occasions of vaccinated people \u2026 spreading the virus to others<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Businesses have faced enormous challenges enforcing the CDC\u2019s May mask guidance that set different mask requirements depending on vaccination status. \u00a0Because we do not wear our vaccination status on our sleeves, and delving into that status is highly sensitive, an unintended consequence of the CDC\u2019s May guidance allowing\u00a0<em>fully vaccinated<\/em>\u00a0people to drop their masks, was that many\u00a0<em>unvaccinated<\/em>\u00a0people also took off their masks unbeknownst to host businesses and employers. \u00a0Unless employers view vaccination cards, which may be counterfeit and many are loathe to share, or require self-attestations, which may be false, there is no easy way to know whether someone is in fact fully vaccinated.\u00a0 Accordingly, the CDC likely concluded the best way to ensure that unvaccinated people continue to wear masks, is to make everyone wear masks.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Does this Updated Guidance Apply to Workplaces?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While today\u2019s update comes from the CDC, not OSHA, we do think the concept of \u201cpublic indoor settings\u201d is intended to apply to workplaces where more than individual will be present; i.e., \u201cpublic\u201d just means outside your own home. \u00a0Like the May 13<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0guidance that relaxed mask requirements for fully vaccinated individuals, there are a few references to certain types of workplaces and workers, such that the CDC\u2019s intent that this would apply to workplaces seems clear enough.\u00a0 For example, the section of the guidance about isolation, quarantine, and testing for fully vaccinated individuals focuses substantially on workers:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>Most fully vaccinated people with no COVID-like symptoms do not need to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/if-you-are-sick\/quarantine.html\">quarantine<\/a><\/em><em><u>,<\/u><\/em><em>\u00a0be\u00a0<mark>restricted from work<\/mark><u>,<\/u>\u00a0or be tested following an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, as their risk of infection is low.\u00a0 However, they should still monitor for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/symptoms-testing\/symptoms.html\">symptoms of COVID-19<\/a><\/em><em>\u00a0for 14 days following an exposure.\u00a0\u00a0<mark>Exceptions where testing (but not quarantine) is still recommended<\/mark>\u00a0following an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19\u00a0<mark>include<\/mark>: Fully vaccinated residents and\u00a0<mark>employees of correctional and detention facilities and homeless shelters<\/mark>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The idea that workers in certain types of workplaces \u2014 correctional facilities and homeless shelters \u2014 are exempt from the general recommendations in the July 27th guidance, indicates that workers in other types of work environments are intended to be covered by it.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, this guidance is specifically identified by the CDC as an update to the May 13<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0guidance, which is well established now to be applicable to workers and workplaces.\u00a0 And like the May 13<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0guidance, yesterday\u2019s update talks about how the guidance does not supersede or limit conflicting \u201cworkplace guidance.\u201d\u00a0 The only logical reason CDC would clarify that federal, state, and local\u00a0<em>workplace<\/em>\u00a0rules, regulations and guidance also continue to apply, would be if this guidance was intended to cover workplaces, as well.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the explicit rationale for the change in guidance \u2013 that\u00a0<em>\u201cevidence suggests that fully vaccinated people who do become infected with the Delta variant can spread the virus to others\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 applies the same in the workplace as it does in any other environment outside our homes; i.e., there is no logical way to distinguish workplaces from other places in terms of the risk that the guidance is attempting to address.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>What will OSHA do next?<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We likely will not have to speculate for long about the applicability of this updated CDC guidance to workplaces.\u00a0 Federal OSHA has been quick to align its workplace guidance with CDC\u2019s guidance throughout the pandemic.\u00a0 Look no further than\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/oshadefensereport.com\/2021\/06\/11\/in-lieu-of-a-covid-19-ets-applicable-to-all-industries-fed-osha-updated-its-covid-19-guidance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OSHA\u2019s Updated COVID-19 Guidance from June 10<sup>th<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0to see that it is filled with links to CDC recommendations guidelines.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/oshadefensereport.com\/2021\/06\/11\/in-lieu-of-a-covid-19-ets-applicable-to-all-industries-fed-osha-updated-its-covid-19-guidance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-4849 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/oshadefensereport.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Capture-2.png?resize=451%2C335&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"451\" height=\"335\" \/><\/a>Indeed, as reflected in the opening paragraph of OSHA\u2019s June guidance, the entire basis for the sea shift in workplace guidance OSHA revealed there was the CDC\u2019s \u201cInterim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People.\u201d\u00a0 That is the very same CDC guidance that was updated today.\u00a0 We think it is only a matter of time until OSHA updates its guidance to realign with this move by the CDC.<\/p>\n<p>Remember that, at least for now, outside of the healthcare space, OSHA\u2019s enforcement of COVID-19 protocols like masking is limited to the General Duty Clause.\u00a0 To date, President Biden\u2019s OSHA has already conducted approx. 600 COVID-19 inspections under its National Emphasis Program just launched two months ago, and it has issued 5x more General Duty Clause citations than in the entire year of the pandemic covered by President Trump\u2019s OSHA, including at least two willful GDC violations.\u00a0 General duty citations are essentially judgments of employers\u2019 actions relative to a \u201creasonable employer\u201d standard, and the citations we have seen include references to CDC guidance.\u00a0 So even before OSHA changes its guidance, there is risk in not adjusting workplace policies to keep up with the CDC.<\/p>\n<p>To the extent that OSHA decides to track CDC\u2019s guidance exactly (i.e., applying it only in counties experiencing \u201chigh\u201d and \u201csubstantial\u201d levels of transmission, rather than everywhere in the country), that will require employers to monitor COVID-19 data in their areas, similar to requirements under Cal\/OSHA\u2019s Wildfire Smoke Rule, and OSHA\u2019s expectations for protecting against Heat Illness, where there is a threshold condition that must be present in your area to trigger certain requirements.\u00a0 For wildfire smoke, employers have to check the Air Quality Index (\u201cAQI\u201d) every day to determine whether N95 and other requirements kick in.\u00a0 Similarly, for heat illness hazards, employers should be regularly checking meteorological data for their work areas to determine whether high heat conditions are present that require actions under heat illness prevention plans.<\/p>\n<p>In the COVID-19 context, employers will likely have a couple of options.\u00a0 First, there is nothing to prevent employers from reverting back to a mask mandate for all workers indoors regardless of the conditions in their area.\u00a0 Alternatively, to the extent OSHA does not require masks regardless of location, employers could regularly check CDC\u2019s county\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/covid.cdc.gov\/covid-data-tracker\/#county-view\">map<\/a>\u00a0to determine whether their worksites, on any given day, are in a county experiencing a \u201chigh\u201d or \u201csubstantial\u201d level of transmission, and enforce the mask requirement accordingly.<\/p>\n<p>Last, but certainly not least, the CDC\u2019s updated guidance has raised our already high level of concern that OSHA will revisit its\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/oshadefensereport.com\/2021\/06\/14\/is-your-workplace-covered-by-fed-oshas-new-covid-19-emergency-temporary-standard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">decision to exclude non-healthcare workplaces from its COVID-19 emergency temporary standard<\/a>.\u00a0 As we know, the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/oshadefensereport.com\/2021\/07\/20\/face-masks-respiratory-protection-and-other-personal-protective-equipment-ppe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">final ETS<\/a>\u00a0revealed in June was limited to healthcare workplaces only, but the proposed ETS delivered to OMB in late April was a broad, onerous rule applicable to all industries. \u00a0One of the major reasons that OSHA shifted direction and issued the narrow healthcare-focused rule was the CDC\u2019s updated guidance in May that emphasized how safe vaccinated individuals are and the lack of a need to implement COVID protocols for vaccinated workers.\u00a0 Today\u2019s reversal of the CDC\u2019s May 13<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0mask guidance could inspire OSHA to reverse its decision too.\u00a0 That is especially worrisome when considering the confluence of several other factors:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a general increase in recent COVID-19 cases and deaths;<\/li>\n<li>the increased prevalence of the highly contagious Delta variant;<\/li>\n<li>the impending confirmation of Doug Parker to head Fed OSHA, who led Cal\/OSHA\u2019s efforts to issue its broad ETS; and<\/li>\n<li>the AFL-CIO lawsuit challenging OSHA\u2019s decision to issue a narrow ETS despite OSHA\u2019s explicit determination that COVID-19 presented a grave danger in every shared workplace in the country<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We will track any clarifications from the CDC or OSHA about how this guidance impacts employers. Please contact any of the attorneys in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.connmaciel.com\/osha-workplace-safety\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Conn Maciel Carey\u2019s national OSHA Practice<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"font-size:revert;color:initial;\">if you have questions.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Conn Maciel Carey\u2019s\u00a0COVID-19 Task Force We have an unfortunate update to share out of the CDC today.\u00a0 Short story, do not throw away your \u201cMasks Required\u201d signs. What Did the CDC Change About Mask Recommendations? Earlier&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-workplace-safety-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>CDC Updates Mask Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated Individuals - Employer Defense Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.connmaciel.com\/employer-defense-report\/cdc-updates-mask-recommendations-for-fully-vaccinated-individuals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CDC Updates Mask Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated Individuals - Employer Defense Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Conn Maciel Carey\u2019s\u00a0COVID-19 Task Force We have an unfortunate update to share out of the CDC today.\u00a0 Short story, do not throw away your \u201cMasks Required\u201d signs. What Did the CDC Change About Mask Recommendations? 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