The rising tide of public and elite frustration finally broke the dam of bureaucratic stubbornness.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention admitted Thursday what was obvious to every thinking person weeks ago: Masks and social distancing requirements for vaccinated people are pointless, perhaps even evincing a denial of the science behind vaccination.
We can hear the voices of lockdowners screaming objections: “Not 100% effective!” “But variants!”
Everyone can safely ignore these voices. Eradication of the coronavirus was never and still cannot be the goal. We do not demand that other risks be reduced to zero at any cost, and this is no exception. Once you have gotten your vaccine, it’s time to declare victory and move on. We’ve done it. In the United States, at least, we have defeated the epidemic. It’s over.
Federal, state, and local officials must now stop clinging to emergency powers. They need to go further than they have in setting people free. Every state, city, and county should begin by adopting the CDC’s guidance. The vaccinated should not be required to wear masks with rare exceptions. (The CDC still indicates masking in city buses and airplanes, and even that seems superfluous for the vaccinated.) Nobody should be made to wear a mask outdoors. Stores and restaurants should all abolish their mask mandates immediately — they probably never did much to stop the spread anyway.
Children 12 and under should not need masks, either. The CDC should come right out and state that. If it doesn’t, then states and localities should act anyway, lifting whatever mandates still exist on young children immediately.
There are some settings, such as meatpacking plants, that might want to require masks until they can get their workforces fully vaccinated because these sites (and not Florida beaches or Italian bistros) have proven to be the loci of transmission. But that can probably be left to the facilities rather than the government’s discretion.
Localities need to stop restricting the free exercise of religion and the freedom of assembly. This Sabbath for Jews and Christians should be one celebrated by as many worshippers as the fire code will permit. If the clergy want to require masks, that should be up to them.
Capacity limits at ballparks, community barbecues, and movie theaters should end in every place where the community spread is low — which is almost all of the country.
Most importantly, schools need to open up more.
Many school districts are still closing on Wednesdays for Clorox theater — wiping down and disinfecting entire buildings to fight a virus that doesn’t spread through surfaces. It’s costly and also stupid. It is particularly undesirable for school districts to miseducate families about the science behind COVID-19 and its spread.
In some districts, social-distancing requirements mean there is a waiting list for students who want to be in the classroom. As a result, thousands are Zooming who want to be with their friends and teachers. This should end on Monday.
This page never denied the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic. We supported school closures last spring before scientists knew for certain how the virus was spread. Masks and distancing likely helped slow the spread. But now, every adult who wants a vaccination has had a chance to get the shot. Transmission rates are very low and falling. The lethality and prevalence of the virus are far, far lower than it was even a month ago, and the widespread immunity means it is not going to bounce back as it did last winter.
The CDC’s mask guidance for vaccinated people was the right move. Now, it’s time to take the next steps.
