Children who will not be vaccinated against COVID-19 are likely to continue wearing face masks in schools, which are expected to resume usual operations this fall, US President Joe Biden’s top COVID advisor Dr Anthony Fauci said on Friday, according to US media reports.

Fauci said that not much had changed for the students in elementary school as they are likely to remain unvaccinated till schools begin to re-open.

The 80-year-old later added that he can “almost guarantee” that those who have not been fully vaccinated will have to wear masks on campus, reported CNN.

The announcement comes just a day after the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said that fully vaccinated residents of the country will no longer be required to wear masks. Moreover, most social distancing norms have also been eased in the country.

Meanwhile, individual states in the US like North Carolina have already reviewed their mask and social distancing policies and announced that they no longer apply to fully vaccinated people.

The US currently has three COVID-19 vaccines — Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson — in circulation.