<p>Students and teachers vaccinated against <strong><a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/coronavirus-live-news-covid-19-latest-updates.html" target="_blank">Covid-19</a></strong> will not need to wear masks in US classrooms when school resumes in the fall, health authorities said Friday.</p>.<p>The new guidance follows the recent federal approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 shot for Americans aged 12 to 15, with hospitalizations and deaths down sharply since January -- but cases beginning an upward trajectory due to the surging Delta variant of the coronavirus.</p>.<p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had announced in May that vaccinated Americans could drop masks, but the health advice for schools was not immediately changed accordingly.</p>.<p>"Indoors: Mask use is recommended for people who are not fully vaccinated, including students, teachers, and staff," the nation's lead federal public health agency announced in its updated guidance.</p>.<p>Schools are free to follow the guidelines or ignore them, the CDC added.</p>.<p>"Based on the needs of the community, school administrators may opt to make mask use universally required (i.e., required regardless of vaccination status) in the school," the agency says.</p>.<p>Reasons for continuing to enforce mask usage might include high transmission rates in schools and their localities, or simply "difficulty monitoring or enforcing mask policies that are not universal."</p>.<p>Health officials stress that returning to in-person learning in the fall is a "priority."</p>.<p>"Achieving high levels of Covid-19 vaccination among eligible students as well as teachers, staff, and household members is one of the most critical strategies to help schools safely resume full operations," the guidance said.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>
<p>Students and teachers vaccinated against <strong><a href="http://www.deccanherald.com/coronavirus-live-news-covid-19-latest-updates.html" target="_blank">Covid-19</a></strong> will not need to wear masks in US classrooms when school resumes in the fall, health authorities said Friday.</p>.<p>The new guidance follows the recent federal approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 shot for Americans aged 12 to 15, with hospitalizations and deaths down sharply since January -- but cases beginning an upward trajectory due to the surging Delta variant of the coronavirus.</p>.<p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had announced in May that vaccinated Americans could drop masks, but the health advice for schools was not immediately changed accordingly.</p>.<p>"Indoors: Mask use is recommended for people who are not fully vaccinated, including students, teachers, and staff," the nation's lead federal public health agency announced in its updated guidance.</p>.<p>Schools are free to follow the guidelines or ignore them, the CDC added.</p>.<p>"Based on the needs of the community, school administrators may opt to make mask use universally required (i.e., required regardless of vaccination status) in the school," the agency says.</p>.<p>Reasons for continuing to enforce mask usage might include high transmission rates in schools and their localities, or simply "difficulty monitoring or enforcing mask policies that are not universal."</p>.<p>Health officials stress that returning to in-person learning in the fall is a "priority."</p>.<p>"Achieving high levels of Covid-19 vaccination among eligible students as well as teachers, staff, and household members is one of the most critical strategies to help schools safely resume full operations," the guidance said.</p>.<p><strong>Check out DH's latest videos:</strong></p>