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CDC: People vaccinated don’t need masks outside
Fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to wear a mask outside, except in crowded settings, under new guidelines released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a White House briefing, public health officials said fully vaccinated people can remove their face masks while walking, running, hiking or biking outdoors alone or with members of their household.
Vaccinated people also don’t need to wear a mask during small outdoor gatherings with fully vaccinated family and friends, or at gatherings with a mixture of vaccinated and unvaccinated people, they said.
Also, fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear a mask at outdoor restaurants with friends from multiple
households, the guidance said.
“Today is another day we can take a step back to the normalcy of before,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “If you are fully vaccinated, things are much safer for you than those who are not yet fully vaccinated.”
The CDC still recommends fully vaccinated people wear masks in indoor public settings and at outdoor public settings or at venues where masks are required.
People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of either the Pfizer- BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or two weeks after receiving the single- dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The CDC’s announcement represents a slight shift in public health messaging, from drilling pandemic restrictions to encouraging vaccinations by providing tangible benefits to those who have gotten their shots.
“The bottom line is clear: If you’re vaccinated you can do more things more safely both outdoors as well as indoors,” President Joe Biden said in a White House briefing later Tuesday. “For those who haven’t gotten their vaccination yet, especially if you’re younger or thinking you don’t need it, this is another great reason to go and get vaccinated now.”
As of Tuesday, CDC data showed nearly 30% of the U. S. population has been fully vaccinated and more than 42% have received at least one dose. Contributing: The Associated Press. Health and patient safety coverage at USA TODAY is made possible in part by a grant from the Masimo Foundation for Ethics, Innovation and Competition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foundation does not provide editorial input.