Mask guidance evolves indoors and outdoors as Delta variant keeps spreading
Precautions are changing as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads. Now, experts say even in outdoor settings, a mask is still strongly encouraged in many instances.
The Director of Infection Prevention at UNC Medical Center, Dr. Emily Sickbert-Bennett, understands the frustration. She says we now know much more about COVID-19, which is why guidance keeps evolving.
Sickbert-Bennett said the shift in mask guidance stems from two things - the increases in COVID cases and the Delta variant, which we know to be more infectious.
“In a setting where you're outdoors and you're shoulder-to-shoulder with someone, it doesn’t take very long for infectious particles to move from one person several inches away to the next person,” she said.
Katherine Guerrero is a Wake County Head Start home visitor. For the last year-and-a-half, she’s had to take her work outside.
“It’s heartbreaking," Guerrero said. "All we want to do is just go into the homes where we are face-to-face with parents and work on parenting skills ... we haven’t been able to do so that much.”
On Thursday, Guerrero was doing a home visit at Lake Johnson. She said it’s hard to know what and where is safe - especially when the mask guidance keeps changing.
“No warning! I’m going to different places and now they’re requiring me to wear a mask when I didn’t have to before?” Guerrero said.
Sickbert-Bennett said solo outdoor activities are safe without a mask. It's the big outdoor events and concerts that pose the biggest risk outdoors, regardless of vaccination status.
“There’s new resource limitations and those resource limitations are humans and we need to really take care of each other by taking care of ourselves," she said.
Although we are in a much better place in terms of knowledge, Sickbert-Bennett said it’s discouraging to still see so many COVID patients in the hospital with all the resources we have available.
A good rule of thumb to follow is to wear a mask if you are unsure.
