The Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines Tuesday regarding outdoor mask use for fully vaccinated people. A person is considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or two weeks after a single dose of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. 

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In the new guidelines, the CDC states that fully vaccinated people may exercise alone or attend small gatherings outside unmasked. It also informs that masks are not necessary when dining outdoors with people from multiple households. The update to their suggestions released in March of this year regarding indoor activities for fully vaccinated people remains unchanged. This update stated that it is safe for fully vaccinated people to attend indoor gatherings with other fully vaccinated friends or even unvaccinated people from one household, as long as they are not high-risk for complications of COVID-19.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House’s Chief Medical Advisor, called an update to relax guidelines for outdoor mask use “common sense,” saying the risk is “really, really quite low.”

However, the CDC continues to advise that all people, regardless of vaccine status, wear masks inside public places and if gathering with unvaccinated people from more than one household. They also suggest that all people wear face coverings in crowded places – even outdoors. This includes sporting events, parades, performances and anywhere else where large groups of people gather.

“As we know more, CDC will continue to update our recommendations for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people,” the CDC website states. “Until we know more about those questions, everyone—even people who’ve had their vaccines—should continue taking steps to protect themselves and others when recommended.”

Visit the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html to find out more about the new guidelines.