Fully Vaccinated People Don’t Need to Wear Masks Under Certain Conditions, CDC Says
The agency says that fully vaccinated people should still continue to exercise caution around unvaccinated individuals.
April 27, 2021 2 min read
On Tuesday, the CDC issued a series of guidelines on outdoor mask use for vaccinated people.
According to the agency, those who are fully vaccinated can now take part in outdoor activities and recreation without a mask — provided that the venue they’re in isn’t crowded. Fully vaccinated people can also visit other people who are fully vaccinated indoors without having to wear a mask or socially distance. Likewise, individuals who are least 14 days out from either their second shot of Moderna or Pfizer or single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine can resume domestic and international travel without having to test or self-quarantine — unless the destination they’re traveling to requires them to take a Covid-19 test. If exposed to someone who does have the virus, fully vaccinated people, in most instances, do not need to quarantine or test for Covid-19 so long as they are asymptomatic.
Related: A School in Miami Is Discouraging Teachers From Getting Vaccinated
Despite these guidelines, the CDC also urged those who received the necessary doses of the vaccine to continue to exercise caution. Currently, fully vaccinated people should keep wearing masks in indoor public settings or around unvaccinated people who are at risk of severely experiencing Covid-19. Fully vaccinated people should also continue to avoid large indoor gatherings, wear a mask when visiting people from multiple households and get tested if they experience Covid-19 symptoms.
Those who are fully vaccinated do not need to wear a mask around unvaccinated people who are at low risk of getting the virus, such as most younger children.
Currently, more than 141 million people in the U.S. have received the first of the two-dose vaccines, while nearly 97 million people are fully vaccinated, the CDC notes.
