The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its mask guidance for people who are fully vaccinated. You are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after the first dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Under the updated guidance, the CDC says it is safe for fully vaccinated people to engage in a variety of activities without wearing a mask, include small outdoor gatherings, exercising, and outdoor dining.
"If you are fully vaccinated and want to attend a small outdoor gathering with people who are vaccinated and unvaccinated, or dine at an outdoor restaurant with friends from multiple households, the science shows if you are vaccinated, you can do so safely unmasked," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during a virtual White House briefing.
The CDC is still advising people to wear a mask when they attend large outdoor gatherings, such as concerts and sporting events, and while indoors.
"Generally, for vaccinated people, outdoor activities without a mask are safe. However, we continue to recommend masking in crowded outdoor settings and venues, such as packed stadiums and concerts where there is decreased ability to maintain physical distance and where many unvaccinated people may also be present," Walensky said. "We will continue to recommend this until widespread vaccination is achieved."
Shortly after the guidance was released, President Joe Biden provided an update on the coronavirus pandemic from outside the White House and urged people to get vaccinated.
"The bottom line is clear: If you're vaccinated, you can do more things, more safely, both outdoors as well as indoors," Biden said. "So for those who haven't gotten their vaccination yet, especially if you're younger, or thinking you don't need it -- this is another great reason to go get vaccinated. Now."
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