What Does the CDC’s Lifted Mask Mandate Mean for Restaurants?

The CDC is excited to announce this unexpected and thrilling news, but where does this leave the industry? Well, no one is totally sure.Every state has handled the virus differently. Some clamped down on gatherings and enforced mask mandates; others seemingly have taken a more laissez-faire approach to the pandemic.

For its part, the agency has released some guidance related to its decision, but it's targeted primarily toward the general public. The CDC's interim COVID-19 directionsdon't cover restaurants specifically but say, '…fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.'

About half of the U.S. no longer has a mask mandate. The CDC's news caused other states, including Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Nevada, to ease their own restrictions. Meanwhile, states like New York, Massachusetts, and Delaware said theywanted to takea more cautious approach to the eased restrictionsand will maintain current mask mandate guidelines until they've had a chance to complete their own reviews. As of this writing, all three states have since said they'll be following CDC guidance and lifting mask mandates for fully vaccinated people in the coming days.

For restaurants, it's difficult to know what the next step is. While the CDC is suggesting that fully vaccinated people are safe to not wear a mask while eating inside of a restaurant or bar, how do restaurants know who has been vaccinated? Currently, unless a person walks around with their vaccination card in hand, we're mostlygoing off the honor system. Restaurants have already expressed some concern with how that information is collected, or if they can even ask for it, while others have suggested that it's time to start trusting one another.

It doesn't sound like the National Restaurant Association is making many changesto its ongoing COVID-19 guidelineseither. During a recent ABC interview, Larry Lynch, SVP of Science and Industryfor the NRA, mentioned that restaurants have been welcoming both vaccinated and non-vaccinated guests for months now, but eateries would have to rely on guidance from local and state governments to move forward safely.