[ad_1]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidelines for Americans who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 advising that they no longer need to wear face masks outdoors, except in crowds.
New public health recommendations say that people who have received a full course of one of the three vaccines available in the US may go without masks when walking, jogging, or biking outdoors with household members.
They may also attend small outdoor gatherings and dine outdoors with people from multiple households.
However, the CDC cautions that crowded outdoor settings still pose a risk and urges both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals to continue to wear masks at sporting events, concerts, live performances, and parades.
Fully vaccinated people must continue to wear masks at indoor public activities, such as at movie theatres, hair salons, places of worship, and gyms. This recommendation will remain in place until more people have been vaccinated and the case count falls further.
Previous CDC guidelines said that “masks may not be necessary when you are outside by yourself away from others, or with people who live in your household” — though they also advise abiding by local mask mandates when out in public or any relevant federal rules.
CDC guidelines have informed most local mandates regarding masks and social distancing. Prior to Tuesday’s White House Covid response briefing a call was held with governors and individuals states are now expected to adjust their own rules.
In the 13 months since Covid-19 began to spread in the US, researchers have found that outdoor transmission only accounts for a small number of infections.
Studies of vaccinated people have also found that they carry substantially less of the virus in the very rare cases in which they may become infected. It is believed that this makes it much less likely that they can spread the virus to other people.
The new also guidance seeks to encourage more people to take the vaccine. It states that “taking steps toward relaxing certain measures for vaccinated people may help improve coronavirus vaccine acceptance and uptake”.
“Therefore, there are several activities that fully vaccinated people can resume now, at low risk to themselves, while being mindful of the potential risk of transmitting the disease to others.”
“The message is clear,” Health and Human Services SecretaryXavier Becerra told CBS This Morning. “You’re vaccinated. Guess what? You get to return to a more normal lifestyle. If you’re not vaccinated, you’re still a danger … so get vaccinated.”
Vaccinated Americans have previously been advised that they can gather indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing masks.
Further updates are expected as the vaccinated percentage of the population increases in the coming weeks.
In a move to make it easier for people to get full-vaccinated, White House adviser Andy Slavitt says they will ensure that pharmacies in the federal vaccine program will not have residency requirements. This will allow groups who move for work or education, such as college students, to get a second dose wherever they want if they change location.
As of Monday, 141 million Americans, or 42.5 per cent of the population, have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Just under 96 million people are fully vaccinated (28.9 per cent of the population).
There have been 31.9 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US and 569,272 officially recorded deaths.
[ad_2]
Source link
