On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) upgraded the monkeypox alert to level 2, advising travelers to practice extended precautions, including wearing a mask.
According to Fox News, the CDC advised wearing masks after closely monitoring cases of monkeypox that have been reported in numerous countries, including the U.S.
Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, a CDC official previously said, “This is not COVID.” McQuiston told reporters last week that, “Respiratory spread is not the predominant worry. It is contact and intimate contact in the current outbreak setting and population.”
The guidance regarding mask-wearing is no longer present on the CDC website as of June 7, while the rest of the guidance for travelers remains in place.
The Gateway Pundit has contacted the CDC for comment but has not had a response as of this writing.
The CDC recommends travelers avoid close physical contact with infected people, wash their hands with soap and water, and avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth.
“People usually become infected with the monkeypox virus through contact with the skin lesions or bodily fluids of infected animals or humans (alive or dead), including respiratory droplets, or through contact with materials contaminated with the virus,” according to the CDC’s notice.
“Some cases were reported among men who have sex with men. Some cases were also reported in people who live in the same household as an infected person,” the CDC reported.
The CDC advised that only a few antivirals developed for smallpox and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are therapy options for the monkeypox virus.