Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced Thursday afternoon that fully vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear masks in most indoor settings. Moments later, Governor Andy Beshear released a video on social media to announce that Kentucky would immediately begin following the new CDC guidelines.
“There are hundreds of thousands of available appointments right now to get vaccinated, and if you get vaccinated, the CDC says it’s safe to take that mask off. So, go on out. Get that shot. Let’s defeat this pandemic once and for all,” said Governor Beshear.
His office has planned a news conference Friday to discuss changes to COVID-19 restrictions in the commonwealth. The governor has faced increasing pressure to lift more pandemic restrictions. The number of Kentuckians receiving the vaccine has plateaued, as have new cases.
Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne responded to the changes, “Today’s announcement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is just further evidence that we are well past the time for this mandate to expire and our state to go even further in eliminating capacity restrictions. The legislature recognized this when we chose not to extend these mandates as part of COVID-relief legislation passed during the 2021 Session, but the Governor chose to challenge the measure in court.”
The CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people still wear masks in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and prisons.
