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- The CDC is expected to announce new mask-wearing rules this afternoon.
- The recommendations for more masks come as COVID cases soar nationwide, and the Delta variant spreads.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
As COVID-19 cases rise nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to issue a change in mask-wearing guidance.
CDC director Rochelle Walensky is expected to announce the new guidance on Tuesday afternoon.
It's unclear whether the guidelines will be targeted towards areas of the country where COVID-19 transmission is high, as the New York Times reported, or if it will focus on people living with unvaccinated children and immunocompromised people, as PBS Newshour White House reporter Yamiche Alcindor tweeted.
The CDC said in May that fully vaccinated people could drop their masks indoors at all times.
That was before the Delta variant was so prevalent in the US.
The Delta variant spreads faster and far more easily than earlier versions of the virus. It can make vaccinated people sick, though they tend to be asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. Experts believe vaccinated people can also transmit the Delta variant of the coronavirus more easily than earlier versions of the disease.
By and large, unvaccinated people are still the ones who get severe COVID-19 and land in the hospital with a risk of death.
This is a developing story.