New mask guidance does not grant permission for widespread mask removal: CDC Director Walensky

New mask guidance does not grant permission for widespread mask removal: Walensky Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, appeared on ABC's "This Week." ABC News ABC News

New mask guidance for vaccinated individuals does not grant permission for widespread removal of masks, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.

"If they're vaccinated, they are safe. If they are not vaccinated, they are not safe. They should still be wearing a mask or better yet, get vaccinated," she told "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz.

Since the new mask guidance was announced on Thursday, many states, local governments and businesses have updated their mask ordinances based on the CDC's recommendation that vaccinated individuals can be maskless indoors, outdoors or in large crowds. The guidelines still call for masks to be worn on public transportation and in homeless shelters, hospitals and prisons.

Some states, including California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York, are keeping their universal mask mandates intact.

As late as Tuesday, Walensky and other health officials were still recommending universal mask wearing during a hearing on Capitol Hill.

"When it was finally announced on Thursday it came as a huge surprise. It left some administration officials, doctors, businesses off guard. So why so suddenly, and why did you not tell the Senate panel what you had decided?" Raddatz asked.

"During the past week we were making decisions," Walensky responded. "Our subject matter experts were working just as I was testifying in front of Congress." ...

Walensky and other U.S. health officials have stressed that their guidance is up to individuals to follow and if vaccinated people wish to continue wearing their masks they can.

"We wanted to deliver the science of the individual level, but we also understand that these decisions have to be made at the community's level," Walensky said.

"The challenge here is that not everybody is eligible for vaccination," Walensky told Raddatz. "We still have children under the age of 11 and they should obviously still be wearing masks. So, if you're unvaccinated, we are saying, wear a mask, continue to distance if you're unvaccinated and practice all of those mitigation strategies."  ...