May 15, 2021 - Health

Nurses union calls on CDC to revise new mask guidance

Rebecca Falconer

Members of the National Nurses United place 400 pairs of shoesto recognize the more than 400 registered nurses who have died from the Covid-19 pandemic on May 12, 2021 in Washington, DC — Members of the National Nurses United union on Wednesday place 400 pairs of shoes on Black Lives Matter Plaza, Washington, D.C., to honor the more than 400 registered nurses who have died from COVID-19 . Photo: Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images

The largest nurses union in the U.S. called on the CDC Saturday to reverse guidance issued this week that allows for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to go maskless while participating in indoor and outdoor activities.

Details: National Nurses United executive director Bonnie Castillo said in a statement the new guidance is "not based on science, does not protect public health, and threatens the lives of patients, nurses, and other frontline workers across the country."

"Now is not the time to relax protective measures, and we are outraged that the CDC has done just that while we are still in the midst of the deadliest pandemic in a century."

— Castillo

The other side: CDC director Rochelle Walensky noted when the guidelines were issued Thursday that few people vaccinated against the coronavirus had become infected with it, that "transmission seems rarer still" and the vaccines seem to protect against known variants in the U.S., per the New York Times.

The CDC did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

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Nurses union calls on CDC to revise new mask guidance

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