If you re considered fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, in most cases, you don t need to wear a mask indoors or outdoors anymore.
That s the latest from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which issued new guidance on Thursday. Vaccinated persons - those who are at least two weeks past their second COVID shot, or first if it was from Johnson and Johnson - no longer need to stay six feet from others who are also vaccinated, and can lower their masks.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky called the news exciting and powerful,
“Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” 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.”
CDC says fully vaccinated Americans can go without face masks in most settings
and last updated 2021-05-13 17:03:39-04
WASHINGTON, D.C. â In a major shift, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Thursday that itâs easing its indoor mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people.
At a White House briefing, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear face coverings indoors or outdoors, in most settings.
âAnyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,â said Walensky. âIf 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.â
Although she said non-vaccinated people will still be eligible to attend concerts this summer, those with the Vax Pass could receive limited access, along with other incentives.
Arwady hinted that Chicago s popular Lollapalooza could be held this summer, following last year s virtual celebration, and offer deals for those who receive the COVID vaccine. I think of it as a as a way to celebrate people s vaccination choice, Arwady said. It sounds like Lollapalooza might happen. So I m not going to comment yet on the details of things that would be thought of for late summer. I think we are certainly, again, let me just say this, thinking a lot about people who are fully vaccinated and the opportunities for them to be able to do, you know, do certain things.