CDC: Most Americans can take a break from masks

U.S. officials say most Americans live in places where healthy people can safely take a break from wearing masks.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on has outlined a new set of measures for communities where COVID-19 is easing its grip. They focus less on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.

More than 70% of the U.S. population lives in counties where the coronavirus is posing a low or medium threat to hospitals. Those are the people who can stop wearing masks for now.

The agency is still advising that people, including schoolchildren, wear masks where the risk of COVID-19 is high. The new recommendations don’t change the requirement to wear masks on public transportation.

The North Dakota Health Department identified seven new positive cases of COVID in Grand Forks County today (Saturday).  On Friday health officials lowered the local health dashboard to the “moderate” risk category after 181 days of being in the “high risk” ranking.