Americans who are fully-vaccinated no longer need to wear a face mask or engage in social distancing of six feet – both indoors and outdoors – in most settings, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced via new guidance on Thursday.
The disease agency noted that there are still some instances such as crowded indoor locales, such as public transportation – including flights – hospitals, prisons, homeless shelters, along with local businesses and workplaces where their guidance may still require the wearing of face coverings.
“Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment, when we can get back to some sense of normalcy.”
During a briefing on Thursday, Walensky did note that the CDC could change its guidance again if conditions related to the coronavirus worsen or variants not protected by the current stable of vaccines emerge.
