masks

There are some situations where you still might want to mask up: in crowded indoor settings, around immunocompromised people, in areas with high COVID-19 transmission rates and around unvaccinated people.

Health & Safety

Coronavirus FAQ: I'm Vaccinated And Confused. Do I Need To Mask Up Or Not?

12:48pm June 29, 2021

by Sheila Mulrooney Eldred

A World Health Organization representative just advised wearing masks after vaccination. The CDC has a different perspective. We asked public health specialists to weigh in.

A sign on the front doors of Westlund's Apple Market in Lansing, Mich., asks customers to wear a mask unless they are vaccinated against COVID-19.

National

Mask Or No Mask? Confusion Persists As Businesses Decide On Policies

5:09am May 25, 2021

by Michelle Jokisch Polo

As states across the U.S. begin lifting indoor mask mandates for the fully vaccinated, there's widespread confusion. Both businesses and customers are struggling over their decisions on mask-wearing.

A staff member wearing a mask serves customers at a restaurant in San Mateo, Calif., on May 17.

Restaurants Are Welcoming Back Diners, But Say Mask Rules Have Them Relying On Trust

8:27am May 21, 2021

by Rachel Martin

The National Restaurant Association is recommending to its members that employees continue to wear masks until the government clarifies how the guidance applies to a requirement to keep workers safe.

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Darren Ford (left) reacts to the new mask guideline while presenting his vaccine card at Liberty Theatre on May 14 in Camas, Wash. Gov. Jay Inslee announced last Thursday that the statewide mask mandate would no longer apply to fully vaccinated adults.

Even With The No-Mask Guidance, Some Pockets Of The U.S. Aren't Ready To Let Go

7:19am May 19, 2021

by Will Stone

Many Americans are still making sense of new CDC guidance that vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks in most indoor settings.

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Health & Safety

Opinion: Let Us Now Praise Masks

2:32pm May 15, 2021

by Scott Simon

With new CDC guidelines saying those vaccinated against COVID-19 can ditch face masks except for certain situations, NPR's Scott Simon ponders how masks have become a symbol for this age.

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A woman walks past posters explaining mask requirements at Grand Central Terminal train station in New York City on Wednesday. Rules requiring masks on transit are unchanged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's updated mask guidance for ful

Here's What Is (And Isn't) Changed By The New CDC Mask Guidance

10:13pm May 13, 2021

by Laurel Wamsley

Some parts of public life in the U.S. still operate according to restrictive rules, and that includes planes, trains and buses.

According to the CDC using a brace or mask fitter over a disposable mask or a cloth mask is a good way to make your mask more secure and prevent leaks.

Health & Safety

Coronavirus FAQs: What Are Mask Braces? What If I Get COVID After 1 Vaccine Dose?

5:31pm February 26, 2021

Double masking earns praise as a way to keep safe from more contagious variants. Are there other mask hacks? And vaccines are prompting some queries.

Coronavirus FAQs: Mammograms, Vaccine Ingredients ... And Dogs Who Sniff Masks

10:12pm February 19, 2021

Are there issues with having a mammogram right after a vaccine? Is there a list of vaccine ingredients — some people say they're scary. Also: My pooch loves to sniff discarded masks. Should I worry?

Education

Thousands Of Masks To Be Distributed To WS/FC Schools Teachers, Staff

4:42pm February 17, 2021

by Keri Brown

Thousands of masks are being delivered to educators in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools system over the next couple of days.

A reader asks: I want to have a private cuddle session with some goats but am concerned that the goats may have cuddled with other people. What's the COVID risk? Note: The goat and human in the photo above are part of the same pandemic pod.

Health & Safety

Coronavirus FAQs: If I Have No Post-Vaccine Pain, Is It Working? Plus: Goat Dilemma!

6:47pm February 12, 2021

Readers are asking about vaccine protocols, the safest way to take off a mask, whether it's risky to engage in therapeutic cuddling sessions with goats.