As the vaccinations are making significant progress in USA, the country has changed its guidelines regarding the use of masks outdoors for its vaccinated citizens.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that Fully vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear masks when they are outdoors.
In other words, those who have received all the necessary doses of the vaccine may remove their face coverings if they are out and about alone or in small groups of vaccinated individuals, according to the new guidelines.
But the CDC clarified that Masks are still required indoors and in crowded places or at events.
It should be noted that More than 95 million Americans have been fully vaccinated so far.
Following the CDC's announcement on Tuesday, the U.S. president Joe Biden described the new directive as «remarkable progress.» «Our scientists are convinced by the data that the chances of contracting or transmitting the virus to others are very, very low,« Biden said.
«The bottom line is clear: if you get vaccinated, you can do more,» he emphasized, urging Americans to get vaccinated and even calling vaccination a «patriotic» act.
«Vaccines are about saving your life, but also the lives of the people around you; they are also meant to help us get back to a more normal life,» he said.
Health officials presented the new guidelines at a White House briefing on Tuesday by the coronavirus task force.
«Small and medium-sized gatherings of people who are outdoors and have been vaccinated can take place safely without masks,» said CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky. This includes exercising or dining outdoors.
As he said, the decision on whether someone should wear a mask at larger outdoor gatherings will depend on other factors, such as how well a space is ventilated and how much distance they maintain from other people.
The guidelines apply to fully vaccinated individuals, meaning that two weeks have passed since their second dose of the vaccine.
The data show that, although COVID-19 infections can occur outdoors, the risk of transmission is very low. Early studies also indicate that Fully vaccinated people are much less likely to spread the virus.
Dr. Walensky said that the mask guidelines for fully vaccinated people were primarily intended to «protect the unvaccinated.».
«We really want people who haven't been vaccinated to limit their interactions with others and return to the basic principles of increased ventilation and social distancing,» he said.
