Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can now ditch masks in indoor and outdoor settings—even in crowds—according to an announcement made today by Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."We have all longed for this moment," Walensky said of the return to normalcy. "If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic."Hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, buses, trains, and airplanes are some locations that will still require masks.
Local city and community governments will also make decisions on mask use in schools and municipal buildings, Walensky said.It is unclear, at this time, how private businesses, stores, and offices