April 15, 2021 12:56 pm Federal Government Updates Guidelines for Use and Reuse of N95 Masks Citing an increase in supply, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week recommended that providers move away from “crisis capacity conservation strategies” for N95 and other respirators, such as use of decontaminated masks. In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance that prioritizes N95 respirators for health care workers but no longer specifically requires that only they may use them as PPE. To learn more, click here. News & Knowledge All Curi recommendations are based on current CDC criteria at the time of publication. CDC guidance for SARS-CoV-2 infection may, or may not, be adopted by state and local health departments to respond to rapidly changing local circumstances. Providers should always check with their local health department to see if the CDC’s guidance on any given topic has been modified (particularly if more restrictive) from the CDC’s recommended guidelines. Follow this link https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/healthdirectories/index.html for contact information to your state/local health department. If local recommendations vary from those of the CDC, and you are unsure what recommendations to follow, then it is safer to follow the more restrictive guidelines/recommendations.