People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear a mask outside when they’re in uncrowded public settings, Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., MPH, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced today in a White House press briefing. The new recommendation comes as the weather is warming up in much of the country and people are likely to spend more time outdoors.
Today, “we can take a step back to the normalcy of before,” Dr. Walensky said, announcing the new CDC guidance that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in uncrowded outdoor settings with other fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people. However, in more crowded settings, fully vaccinated people will still need to wear masks outside, she explained.
The updated guidelines do not change the recommendations for mask use indoors, Dr. Walensky said. For now, fully vaccinated people can gather with one other household of fully vaccinated people indoors without masks, the CDC says. But if fully vaccinated people are gathering indoors with people who are not vaccinated, the recommendations for masks depend on the unvaccinated people’s underlying risk factors for severe COVID-19 symptoms. If they have a higher risk for severe symptoms, the fully vaccinated people still need to wear masks.
The change in guidelines is due, in part, to how effective the COVID-19 vaccines are at preventing symptomatic illness, hospitalizations, and deaths. About 95 million adults in the U.S. are fully vaccinated (37% of the total adult population) while 139 million (54%) have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, according to CDC data. So the new rules could apply to more than a third of adults in the country and, soon, many more.
The CDC’s new guidelines also reflect the scientific community’s evolving understanding of how and when the coronavirus is most likely to spread. We know that the virus mainly spreads through respiratory droplets, which contain viral particles that can infect others. People who have the infection can spread those droplets when they cough, yell, talk, or sneeze. We also know now that wearing a face mask and staying at least six feet apart from others can significantly reduce the chances of spreading and getting the coronavirus.
But experts have also come to realize just how important airflow is when preventing the spread of COVID-19. With proper ventilation, respiratory droplets (and smaller airborne droplets) are far less likely to make it from one person to another in a large enough amount to cause infection. That’s why it’s generally much safer to hold gatherings outside rather than in confined indoor environments. (And, if you must do something with other people inside, you can make it a little safer by opening the windows.)
So, with all of that information, it makes sense that there would be different recommendations for wearing masks depending on whether or not you’ve been vaccinated, whether or not the people around you have been vaccinated, and whether you’re interacting with them indoors or outside.
However, the new guidelines only apply to uncrowded situations, such as having a small picnic in the park or dining at an outdoor restaurant with a friend. But in larger crowded public settings, like an outdoor concert, people who are fully vaccinated still need to wear a mask outside. It is likely much harder to stay physically distanced from other people in these settings and there may be more unvaccinated people around you, Dr. Walensky said at the briefing. And, as a reminder, you’re not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after your final dose of whichever vaccine you received.
It’s also important to remember that masks are just one way to help protect yourself and others from COVID-19. And it’s still safest to continue to stay socially distanced, wash your hands frequently, avoid crowds, prioritize good ventilation, and get vaccinated when you’re able.