Americans who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus no longer need to wear masks or engage in social distancing in most situations—both indoors and outdoors—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday.
The new guidance represents a major step toward America’s return to pre-pandemic “normal life.”
And as many Americans would add, “It’s about time!”
UPDATE: If you are fully vaccinated against #COVID19, you can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial laws, incl. local business and workplace guidance. More: https://t.co/FJMon7WlFO
— CDC (@CDCgov) May 13, 2021
In some situations, however, including while riding on trains, planes or buses, and while visiting hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, the CDC still wants Americans to be masked.
The Thursday announcement arrived two weeks after the agency said that fully vaccinated people could drop the mask-wearing out of doors, since the risk of transmission outside is very, very minimal.
“At the time, the agency said the risk of COVID-19 transmission [outdoors] was less than 10 percent—but experts said this week that figure was still overstated and that the risk is likely less than 1 percent,” as The New York Post pointed out.
The same outlet reported that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo isn’t quite ready to have fully vaccinated people drop their masks in the Big Apple. In a Thursday afternoon statement, Cuomo said “he and Health Commissioner Howard Zucker had yet to decide if the Empire State would adopt newly announced guidelines” from the CDC.
See these tweets with more information and reaction to the news:
Don’t fall for Joe and Kamala’s political games with masks.
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) May 14, 2021
Instead:
Get the vaccine.
⬇️
Take the mask off.
⬇️
Return to regular life. pic.twitter.com/6gsAHxm8q8
Why didn’t the @CDCgov director explain why fully vaccinated people couldn’t take their masks off on planes, buses, etc… don’t they trust the science? And why am I listening to a flight attendant give instructions on how to wash my hands and why we’re not going to get coffee.
— Sara A. Carter (@SaraCarterDC) May 14, 2021
Fully vaccinated people can ditch masks indoors, physical distancing: CDC; Biden warns Americans to get vaccinated or mask up https://t.co/UuPmeEUsDD
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 13, 2021
The CDC announced that they are no longer recommending that fully vaccinated people need to wear masks. pic.twitter.com/pFhJEtBepq
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 13, 2021
The U.S. CDC advised that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks outdoors and can avoid wearing them indoors in most places https://t.co/Jv8FhuUWG6 pic.twitter.com/zr37FFQFP8
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 14, 2021
JUST IN: Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state would stop requiring people to wear masks in almost all circumstances on June 15. https://t.co/nvGoQTBCZV
— NBC Bay Area (@nbcbayarea) May 12, 2021
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—By CNJ Staff