A week ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidance that vaccinated people can safely return to most activities without wearing a mask. But the announcement caught many local officials and business leaders off guard. One of them was Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.

NPR's Andrea Hsu reports on the confusion among businesses, which now have to decide what to do on their own.

NPR's Yuki Noguchi interviewed behavioral scientists about whether the new guidance may encourage more people to get vaccinated.

Additional reporting in this episode came from NPR's Allison Aubrey and Pien Huang.

Read more about what the new CDC guidance means for unvaccinated kids — and their parents.

In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.

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