“Mask-Free”: Vaccinated People in the US No Longer Need to Wear Masks Outdoors

People in the US who have completed their vaccination against the coronavirus may now go outdoors maskless, according to CDC on Tuesday.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has released new interim public health recommendations for fully vaccinated people in the United States. While masks are still mandatory for vaccinated individuals when going to certain crowded settings and venues, they can now go maskless when participating in outdoor and recreation.

They can also visit with other fully vaccinated and unvaccinated (who are at low-risk for severe COVID-19 disease) people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.

Aside from not having to wear a mask outdoors, CDC also said that vaccinated individuals can refrain from testing, self-quarantine, and routine screening testing even if they have been exposed to the virus, providing that they are asymptomatic.

CDC encourages vaccinated individuals to continue doing the following:

• Take precautions in indoor public settings like wearing a well-fitted mask
• Wear well-fitted masks when visiting indoors with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease
• Wear well-fitted masks when visiting indoors with unvaccinated people from multiple households
• Avoid indoor large-sized in-person gatherings
• Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• Follow guidance issued by individual employers

The United States currently holds the seventeenth spot in Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking, successfully vaccinating 35 percent of its population. Israel has also eased its restrictions on masks earlier this month after 81% of their population above the age of 16 years old has been vaccinated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

Related: In Israel, wearing of facemask outdoors is no longer mandatory

Related: CDC