The CDC announced on Thursday that fully vaccinated people will no longer be advised to wear masks or physically distance while indoors. “Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said. “We have all longed for this moment.”
The updated guidelines say masks are no longer needed“in any setting” however Americans are still required to wear masks on public transport, like planes and buses, and in airports. Federal and local officials, as well as business owners, can still require mask-wearing, too.
The new guidance is expected to make it easier for schools and workplaces to reopen. “If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic,” Walensky said. It comes two weeks after the CDC said that people who’ve received a jab no longer need to wear masks outside, as long as they aren’t in a large group.