The largest US union of registered nurses has condemned the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) recent announcement that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most settings.
"This newest CDC guidance is not based on science, does not protect public health, and threatens the lives of patients, nurses, and other frontline workers across the country," National Nurses United executive director Bonnie Castillo said in a statement.
"Now is not the time to relax protective measures, and we are outraged that the CDC has done just that while we are still in the midst of the deadliest pandemic in a century."
NNU president Jean Ross said, "if the CDC had fully recognized the science on how this deadly virus is transmitted, this new guidance would never have been issued."
The union called on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue emergency temporary standard (ETS) on infectious diseases "without delay."
"If OSHA does not issue a Covid ETS immediately, we will undoubtedly see more unnecessary, preventable infections and deaths, as well as long Covid cases among nurses and other frontline workers," said NNU President Zenei Triunfo-Cortez,
Saturday, the CDC also said it is refining its coronavirus guidelines and announced when schools open this fall, students from kindergarten through 12th grade should wear masks because all students will not be fully vaccinated. The agency said masks should be worn while riding buses and while inside schools. It also urged students and teachers to maintain 6 feet of social distancing.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved earlier this month for children, ages 12 and older.
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