The United States government health body Centers for Disease Control has announced that vaccinated people would no longer need to wear masks outdoors unless they are in crowded places.

“If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing many things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic,” the CDC said. “Outdoor visits and activities are safer than indoor activities, and fully vaccinated people can participate in some indoor events safely, without much risk.”

However, since “we’re still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of Covid-19”, those vaccinated should “keep taking precautions – like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces – in indoor public places until we know more”, the organisation said.

A person is considered fully vaccinated around two weeks after they receive their second dose of a a two-shot vaccine such as those from Moderna or Pfizer, or two weeks after they get the single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. Nearly 30% of the US has been fully vaccinated so far, while around 41% has received at least one shot.

The US currently has 3,19,24,610 cases and 5,69,771 deaths. Though the number of cases hasn’t seen a massive improvement in the past month, trends show that the toll has decreased.

Here are some guidelines for fully vaccinated people:

  • They can gather or conduct activities outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and venues.
  • A fully vaccinated person can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart. They can gather indoors with unvaccinated people of any age from one other household without masks or staying 6 feet apart, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from Covid-19.
  • Wear masks when in indoor public settings, or gathering indoors with unvaccinated people (including children) from more than one other household, or visiting indoors with an unvaccinated person who is at increased risk of severe illness or death from Covid-19 or who lives with a person at increased risk.
  • They should avoid indoor large gatherings.
  • They don’t need testing or self-quarantine for travel within the United States.