Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live our lives, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued new guidelines to help us stay safe. In this article, we will discuss the CDC’s new rules and how they affect our eating habits. We will also provide some tips on what to eat and what to avoid to stay healthy during this pandemic. By following the CDC’s guidelines, we can all do our part to help reduce the spread of the virus and keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.
The CDC Just Changed These Major COVID Rules — Eat This Not That
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced new guidelines for people to follow during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new rules are designed to help reduce the spread of the virus and keep people safe. Here’s what you need to know about the new guidelines and how to stay safe.
Social Distancing
The CDC recommends that people maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from others when in public. This includes avoiding large gatherings and staying away from people who are not part of your immediate household. The CDC also recommends wearing a face covering when in public, as this can help reduce the spread of the virus.
Eating Out
The CDC recommends that people avoid eating out at restaurants and bars, as these places can be hotspots for the virus. If you do choose to eat out, the CDC recommends that you wear a face covering, maintain social distancing, and practice good hand hygiene. Additionally, the CDC recommends that you order takeout or delivery instead of dining in.
Travel
The CDC recommends that people avoid non-essential travel, as this can increase the risk of spreading the virus. If you must travel, the CDC recommends that you wear a face covering, practice social distancing, and wash your hands often. Additionally, the CDC recommends that you check the travel restrictions in the area you are visiting before you go.
Stay Safe
The CDC’s new guidelines are designed to help reduce the spread of the virus and keep people safe. By following the guidelines, you can help protect yourself and others from the virus. Remember to wear a face covering, maintain social distancing, and practice good hand hygiene when in public. Additionally, avoid eating out at restaurants and bars, and avoid non-essential travel.
On Friday afternoon, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its guidance on when Americans should wear face masks in public. The relaxed recommendations immediately affected about 70% of the country. “We’re in a stronger place today as a nation with more tools to protect ourselves in our communities from COVID 19, like vaccination, boosters, broader access to testing, availability of high quality masks, accessibility to new treatments, and improved ventilation. Over 200 million people have received a primary vaccine series and nearly 100 million have been boosted and millions more have had prior disease. With widespread population immunity, the overall risk of severe disease is now generally lower. Now, as the virus continues to circulate in our communities, we must focus our metrics beyond just cases in the community and direct our efforts toward protecting people at high risk for severe illness and preventing COVID 19 from overwhelming our hospitals and our healthcare systems. This new framework moves beyond just looking at cases and test positivity to evaluate factors that reflect the severity of disease, including hospitalizations and hospital capacity, and helps to determine whether the level of COVID 19 and severe disease are low, medium, or high in a community,” said CDC Chief Rochelle Walensky. Read on to find out more—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
The CDC’s new guidelines group the country into high, medium and low levels of COVID-19. The criteria for those designations don’t just include the total number of cases in an area—they also consider COVID hospitalization rates and the number of hospital beds available.
In areas where the community COVID level is high, people are advised to wear a mask indoors in public. In areas where the community level is medium, the agency recommends that people consult their healthcare provider about whether they should mask in public. In areas where the community level is low, wearing a mask in public is no longer considered essential.
You can check your community’s COVID-19 level on the CDC’s website or by calling 800-232-4636.
“People may choose to mask at any time,” notes the CDC, adding that people in all areas should stay up to date on their COVID vaccines and get tested if they have symptoms. “People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask.”
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Americans are still required to wear face masks on public transportation, including buses, trains and planes. That order is set to expire on March 1. Specific guidelines for masking may be updated before then.
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“The new guidelines, which took effect Friday, reflect the [Biden] administration’s view that the United States has entered a different, potentially less dangerous phase of the pandemic,” the Washington Post reported. “CDC officials said the shift reflects the reality that after more than two years of living with the virus, most communities have greater protection against severe disease because of widespread immunity gained from both vaccinations and infections, as well as the increased availability of treatments, testing and higher-quality masks.”
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“None of us knows what the future may hold for us and for this virus,” said CDC director Rochelle Walensky. “We need to be prepared and ready for whatever comes next. We want to give people a break from things like mask-wearing, when levels are low, and then have the ability to reach for them again, should things get worse in the future.”
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Follow the fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.