Fully vaccinated people can shed their masks in most places: US CDC
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks outdoors and can avoid wearing them indoors in most places, updated guidance the agency said will allow life to begin to return to normal, Reuters reported.
The CDC, which hopes the guidance will prod more Americans to get vaccinated, also said fully immunized people will not need to physically distance in most places, Reuters reported.
The turnaround came just 16 days since CDC issued revised guidance that left many restrictions in place for vaccinated people, Reuters reported.
The agency came under fire in March for initially discouraging immunized grandparents to fly to visit loved ones, according to Reuters.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the new guidance was based on a sharp reduction in cases, expansion of vaccines to younger people and vaccine efficacy against coronavirus variants, Reuters reported.
“We followed the science here,” Walensky.
President Joe Biden emerged at the White House for remarks without a mask.
“I think it’s a great milestone, a great day,” he said in the Reuters reported..
“If you’re fully vaccinated and can take your mask off, you’ve earned the right to do something that Americans are known for all around the world: Greeting others with a smile,” he said, flashing a brief smile himself.
Biden earlier shed his mask during a meeting with lawmakers, Republican Senator Shelly Moore Capito said.
Some journalists at the White House also removed their masks.
The CDC had faced criticism, even from public health officials, that it has been too cautious in its guidance.
Critics have said people need to see more benefit of getting vaccinated in terms of returning to normal activities.
“In the past couple of weeks, we have seen additional data to show these vaccines work in the real world, they stand up to the variants, and vaccinated people are less likely to transmit the virus,” the agency said in a news release.
It added: “We needed to take the time to review the full body of evidence to get this right, and that’s how we came to this decision.”
Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease doctor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said he supports the new guidance that many had been calling for.
“People in state health departments and infectious disease doctors have been saying this for some time because they’re so impressed with the effectiveness of the vaccine, and also, they have the feeling that people who are vaccinated need a reward,” he said.
Republican Senator Susan Collins called the guidance “overdue.”