While India is gearing up for its Phase 3 vaccination programme, nearly one-fourth of America’s population is fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 disease. With the considerable number of people in the US now fully vaccinated, Americans are now slowly trying to return to normal. As per the recommendations from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday, people in the US can now stop wearing masks outdoors when alone or with their household. People can now step out of their houses with a small group of vaccinated people and even those who are unvaccinated can go without a face covering outside in some cases.
The guidelines announced is a careful step to bring people back to their normal lives after the coronavirus pandemic. As per the mask guidance, Americans who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus no longer need to wear a mask outdoors while walking, running, hiking or biking alone, or when in small gatherings. While masks are still necessary for crowded outdoor venues like sports stadiums.
After the recommendations were announced by CDC, President Joe Biden while speaking to the reporters said that the relaxation of restrictions is another reason for people to get vaccinated. He even urged the citizens to get vaccinated not just to protect themselves and those around them from the virus, but also to live their life more normally without the need to wear their masks.
Why mask is not necessary for fully vaccinated people:
According to health experts in the US, open places and outdoor spaces are a safe environment and there is very little chance of the virus spreading, irrespective of the fact that whether a person has a mask on or not. Masks are necessary outdoors where people are in close proximity with each other for a longer period of time.
Besides this, masks have been considered mandatory for all indoor activities such as movie theatres and even “uncrowded” indoor shopping malls and museums.