Updated CDC guidance: Vaccinated teachers and students don't need to wear masks indoors
09 July 2021
Vaccinated teachers and students don't need to wear masks inside school building when classes resume this fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in updated guidance on Friday.
Driving the news: The CDC urged schools to remain open and teachers and students to safely return to in-person learning. It recommended keeping prevention strategies in place to prevent future COVID-19 outbreaks in school settings, but stressed that in-person learning is a priority.
Details: The CDC said unvaccinated adults and children under 12, who are currently ineligible to receive a coronavirus vaccine, should still wear masks indoors.
- Students of all ages should continue to learn three feet apart, and schools should implement screening testing and promote hand-washing, respiratory etiquette and staying home when sick, according to the new guidance.
- If physical distancing can't be maintained, the health agency said classes should still be held with other precautions in place.
- The CDC did not advocate for schools to require teachers or students to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.