CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — In April, the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) relaxed guidance on wearing masks outdoors. But are still advising people — both vaccinated and unvaccinated — to continue to wear masks in indoor public spaces like malls, museums, and movie theaters.

Dr. Purvi Parikh says the timeline for relaxing indoor mask guidelines depends on vaccination rates in the U.S.

“As more people get vaccinated and infection rates drop, we can be more comfortable relaxing those mask mandates — even indoors. But with the vaccination rates slowing down, that’s going to delay being able to relax those mandates.”

Parikh says the practice of wearing a mask may become a seasonal practice as cases of the flu plummeted during the pandemic.

“We may still be wearing masks indefinitely, even seasonally, especially during cold and flu season,” said Parikh.

Watch the full interview with Dr. Purvi Parikh in the player above.