After hinting that new guidelines on the use of outdoor masks would arrive, today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has given the green light to let fully vaccinated people participate in outdoor activities. outdoors without many people without wearing masks.
“Over the past year, we’ve spent a lot of time telling Americans what they are he can not do, what they shouldn’t do, “CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, told a White House news conference.” Today I will tell you some of the things that tin do it if you are completely vaccinated “.
President Joe Biden stated the new guidelines at a news conference shortly after the end of the CDC briefing.
“As of today, if you are fully vaccinated and you are outdoors and not among a large crowd, you no longer need to wear a mask,” he said, adding that the conclusion is clear: if you are vaccinated , you can do more things, more safely, both outdoors and indoors “.
Biden highlighted the role science played in the decision, saying, “The CDC can make this announcement because our scientists are convinced from the data that the odds of getting or giving the virus to other people are very, very high. casualties if you have both have been completely vaccinated and are outdoors. “
Biden also stressed the importance of getting vaccinated. “That’s another big reason to go get vaccinated now. Now,” he said.
The CDC has long reported that outdoor activities are safer than indoor activities.
“Most of the transmission occurs indoors and not outdoors. Less than 10% of the transmissions documented in many studies have occurred outdoors,” Walensky added. “We also know that there is almost twice the risk of transmission inside than outside.”
Walensky said the lower risks associated with outdoor environments, combined with increasing vaccination coverage and falling COVID cases across the country, motivated the change.
The new guidelines come as the proportion of people vaccinated in the United States increases. Approximately 37% of all eligible Americans are fully vaccinated, According to the CDC. Almost 54% have had at least one dose.
Vaccinated and unvaccinated
The new guidelines state that unvaccinated people should continue to wear outdoor masks when meeting other people or eating at an outdoor restaurant.
And vaccinated people should continue to wear outdoor masks in crowded environments where social distancing would not always be possible, such as a concert or sporting event. People are considered to be fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose of the Pfizer or Modern vaccine or the Johnson & Johnson single vaccine.
CDC guidelines say people living in the same house do not need to wear masks if they exercise or stay together outdoors. You also don’t need any masks if you attend a small outdoor meeting with fully vaccinated family and friends, whether you’re vaccinated or not.
The new guidelines state that it is okay for fully vaccinated people to take off their masks outdoors when they gather in a small group of vaccinated and unvaccinated people, exercise, or travel the United States, but suggest that unvaccinated people they should still wear a mask.
They also say it’s okay for fully vaccinated people to eat in open-air restaurants without masks when they’re in the company of family or friends who may or may not be vaccinated. Eating in a restaurant, even outside, is still considered less safe for people who are not vaccinated.
The CDC advises everyone to wear masks when attending a multitude of outdoor events, such as street festivals, parades, or concerts.
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