Reuters reports that The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommended that workers wear masks "in areas of substantial or high community transmission," such as manufacturing plants, meat processing facilities and retail establishments, unless they have medical conditions that make it difficult to wear a face covering.

Employers should also consider staggering the times workers clock in and out of work and take breaks to prevent large groups of people from congregating, OSHA said. The agency had made similar recommendations last year, early on in the pandemic.

The updated guidance comes as COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the US, particularly in areas where large numbers of people remain unvaccinated. Some preliminary studies have shown that vaccinated people are still capable of spreading the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

An increasing number of employers, including meat processor Tyson, have said they will require at least a part of their US workforce to be vaccinated.

The guidance, which is not legally binding, was issued after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late last month recommended that fully vaccinated individuals resume wearing face masks in public.

Read more about this story here.