President Biden is expected to announce changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mask guidelines on Tuesday.
CNN reports that sources say the CDC will update its guidance on whether or not fully vaccinated people need to continue wearing masks outdoors.
This comes as studies have given credence to what public health experts theorized early in the pandemic, which is that transmission is far less likely outdoors than indoors, and more experts have said that it is time to relax outdoor mask mandates.
Some studies have shown that less than 10% of transmissions happen outside. Public health experts say that distancing continues to be an important factor in reducing transmission outdoors.
Dr. Anthony Fauci hinted at the upcoming changes in an interview with CNN on Sunday. Dr. Fauci said he did not want to get ahead of the CDC, but said they "will be coming out with updating their guidelines of what people who are vaccinated can do and even some who are not vaccinated."
The CDC’s current guideline is that everyone, regardless of their vaccination status, should wear a mask and stay six feet away from others when outside. California’s mask mandate requires people to wear masks outdoors anytime they come within six feet of someone who is not part of their household.
People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after getting their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or after the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The two week delay is because it takes time for the immune system to react to the vaccine and build up immunity.
Related
