ST. LOUIS (KMOX/1010 WINS) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that fully vaccinated Americans in certain parts of the country – including the greater St. Louis area – go back to wearing face masks while indoors. Most counties in the area were listed as "high transmission," in the latest CDC report.
Area counties listed under the warning include St. Louis, St. Louis (City), Jefferson, Franklin, Warren, St. Charles, Madison, St. Clair, Monroe and Jersey.
On Tuesday, the organization released new information about the ability of the delta variant to spread among vaccinated people.
Vaccinated people "have the potential to spread that virus to others,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.
The CDC also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status.
Last week a CDC spokesman said that the agency had no plans to change its guidance, unless there were a significant change in the science.
But CNN reported that officials met Sunday night to decide whether the delta variant-fueled spike in cases warranted a change in mask guidelines.
“I think that’s great,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at Bellevue Hospital Center told the Times. "This is a move in the right direction.”
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It comes a day after a face mask mandate was reinstated in St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis. The new rule requires everyone age 5 and older to wear masks in public indoor spaces and on all public transportation.
The Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has sued in an effort to halt the mask mandate.
Missouri’s urban areas have seen an uptick in coronavirus hospitalizations that began in rural parts of the state, especially the southwest part of the state, where vaccination rates remain low.
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