Fully vaccinated Americans can return to life without masks, CDC says

The CDC will no longer recommend masks for fully vaccinated Americans indoors or outdoors, including in crowds, according to sweeping new guidance announced Thursday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has amended its guidance for fully vaccinated Americans, no longer recommending masks indoors or outdoors, including in crowds, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky announced at a White House briefing Thursday. "If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic," Walensky said, announcing the sweeping change. "Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing." The new recommendation, which carves out exceptions for buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, will have significant implications for schools and businesses as the country begins to reopen. "We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy," Walensky said.