World
Fully vaccinated Americans can ditch masks, skip social distancing
Washington: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people and allowed them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.
According to foreign media outlets, US virus cases are at their lowest rate since September and deaths are at their lowest point since last April while the test positivity rate is also at the lowest point since the coronavirus pandemic began.
However, in a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life, the CDC and the Biden administration have faced pressure to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated people.
During a Rose Garden address event heralding the new guidance, President Joe Biden and his staff went without masks.
“Today is a great day for America,” said Joe Biden.
Hours earlier in the Oval Office Biden met vaccinated Republican lawmakers and he led the group in removing their masks when the guidance was announced.
The guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools and other venues even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.
Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC stated, “We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy,” adding that, “If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask".
He further summarized the new guidance and encouraged more Americans to roll up their sleeves.
“Get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do," he added.
To date more than 154 million Americans, nearly 47% of the population, have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and nearly 119 million are fully vaccinated.
The rate of new vaccinations has slowed in recent weeks.
Just two weeks ago, the CDC recommended that fully vaccinated people continue to wear masks indoors in all settings and outdoors in large crowds.
However, the new guidance had an immediate effect at the White House, which has taken a cautious approach to easing virus restrictions.