CDC says fully vaccinated people can go maskless indoors and outdoors

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The CDC announced Thursday that fully vaccinated Americans are no longer required to wear masks or socially distance whether indoors or outdoors.
• The announcement is a step towards reopening America before the July 4th holiday and also shows the benefits of getting vaccinated.
• However, it brought problems to businesses and local governments because it will be hard to identify who is vaccinated and who is not.

Americans who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus no longer need to wear a mask, according to new federal guidance announced Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

If you are two weeks past the last required COVID-19 vaccine dose, then you can go barefaced indoors or outdoors. Plus, no more social distancing needed.

The announcement shows the benefits of vaccines but Walensky denied that the guidelines serve as an incentive to get more people vaccinated.  It is a major step towards getting back to normalcy and business reopening before the July 4th holiday.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said, “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.”

The CDC added that the new guidelines do not apply to health care settings, correctional facilities, or homeless shelters. Masks are still likely to be required in private businesses.

The agency also noted that fully vaccinated Americans should still wear mask coverings “where required by laws, rules and regulations, including on airplanes, trains and public transportation.”

It also urged those who are immune-compromised to speak with their doctors before giving up their masks.

The vaccination campaign of the Biden administration is going strong as more than 117 million Americans, or roughly 35 percent of the population, have now been fully vaccinated.

Another good news is that the number of new COVID-19 cases is dropping over the last two weeks, and daily deaths are at the lowest point since April 2020.

However, the new guideline will be hard on businesses and local governments as there is no easy way to identify who is vaccinated and who is not. The news of creating some sort of a “vaccine passport” is strongly opposed by many.

Across the US, states have been lifting restrictions and reopening businesses as local vaccination rates increase.

Source: The Hill