The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks indoors or outdoors.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on Thursday, “Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing.”
“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,” she continued. “This is an exciting and powerful moment, it could only happen because of the work of so many who made sure we have the rapid administration of three safe and effective vaccines.”
Walensky said the new guidelines were a result of a decline in the number of new cases per day and data on the effectiveness of the vaccines at protecting against the virus.
Watch the video below:
According to new CDC guidance, fully vaccinated people can stop wearing masks in most settings. To find a vaccine near you go to https://t.co/S2DQV6MlBv. pic.twitter.com/gN6GL5YJ3t
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 13, 2021
In a press release, the CDC said, “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.”
“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,” it added.
After the announcement of the new guidelines, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris made an appearance at the White House without masks.
LOOK: President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris make their first maskless public appearance after Thursday's new CDC guidelines were announced. pic.twitter.com/cnhpdEzQWX
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) May 13, 2021
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to celebrated the new guidelines as he left the Senate without a mask, saying, “Free at last.”
“Free at last,” says a maskless Mitch McConnell, as he exits the Senate for the week. pic.twitter.com/YfbWekZ9BW
— Nicholas Fandos (@npfandos) May 13, 2021
The announcement comes as more than 35% of Americans have been fully vaccinated, and the country is seeing a 30% decrease in the number of new cases per day compared to the prior 14 days.