In a big step toward coming back to pre-pandemic life, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday eased mask-wearing guidance for those who are fully vaccinated, allowing them to stop wearing masks while being outdoors in crowds and in most of the indoor settings.
Joe Biden applauded the new guidance by CDC in a Rose Garden address by saying, “Today is a great day for America”. It was an event where President and his staff went without masks to celebrate the announcement of CDC. Hours earlier in the Oval Office while meeting with vaccinated Republican lawmakers, Biden led the group to remove their masks when the NEW CDC guidance was announced.
Biden said , “If you are fully vaccinated then you no longer need to wear a mask.” He summarized the new guidance and encouraged more Americans to roll up their sleeves. He said, “Get fully vaccinated — or wear a mask until you do.”
This latest CDC guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings such as buses, hospitals, prisons, homeless shelters, and planes. But, it will help to make them way for reopening workplaces, schools, colleges, and other venues. It will also remove the need for social distancing for people who are fully vaccinated.
At an earlier White House briefing, the director of the CDC, Rochelle Walensky said, “We have all longed for this moment — when we can get back to some sense of normalcy”.
The CDC and the Biden government earlier have faced pressure to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated people. The aggressive vaccination campaign of the country has paid off.