When will masks disappear? Fauci says maybe never.

As vaccines roll out across the country and everything starts to open up, the next question on everyone’s mind is how long will masks be required, both indoors and outdoors? Dr. Anthony Fauci and the CDC gave some clarity on the future of mask-wearing.

Masks may be here to stay

In Fauci’s estimation on NBC’s Meet The Press this weekend, the use of masks will correspond with seasonal changes that impact coronavirus infection rates.

The research literature has indicated that the virus is much more transmissive during colder months. So you can expect to be wearing masks during the winter season for possibly a few years to come.

“I think people have gotten used to the fact that wearing masks, clearly if you look at the data it diminishes respiratory diseases, we’ve had practically a non-existent flu season this year merely because people were doing the kinds of public health things that were directed predominately against Covid-19,” Fauci explained during the interview last Sunday.

However, when asked if indoor mask requirements will start to relax Fauci’s response was “I think so, and I think you’re going to probably be seeing that as we go along, and as more people get vaccinated.”

Although roughly 45% of the US has received at least one vaccine dose, and 33.9% are now fully vaccinated, vaccinologists are not entirely clear about how long either demographic remains protected against the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2.) Even the most optimistic projections factor in booster shots into their analysis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person is not fully vaccinated until two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

If COVID-19 proves to be an endemic condition, meaning it will regularly occur among particular people or in a certain area, disproportionately affected communities will likely be guided to adhere to face mask guidelines during high-risk scenarios.

It may be that all of the relevant data is slightly behind the clinical application of vaccines. This may be why a lot of academic guidance seems contradictory.

What fully vaccinated people can and cannot do

The CDC says that if you are fully vaccinated:

• You can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask or staying six feet apart.
• You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people of any age from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks or staying six feet apart unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
• You can gather or conduct activities outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and venues.

However, in the same guidance the agency prohibits the following:

• Attending large indoor gatherings without a mask
• Gathering indoors with unvaccinated people (including children) from more than one other household without a mask
• Visiting indoors with an unvaccinated person who is at increased risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 or who lives with a person at increased risk without a mask

You will also still be required to wear a mask on public transportation including planes and trains. Fully vaccinated international travelers coming to the US are still expected to get COVID tests.

“We are at the point right now where we can and start lifting these ordinances and allowing people to resume normal activity. Certainly, outdoors, we should not be putting limits on gatherings anymore and we should be encouraging people to go outside,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb concludes.

“Covid won’t disappear, we are going to have to learn to live with it but the risks have substantially reduced as a result of vaccination and as a result of immunity that people have acquired through prior infection,”