Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been continually giving advice and educating the public on the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Americans across the nation continue to receive the vaccine, Fauci spoke to Today about the CDC’s new outdoor mask guidelines for vaccinated people.
On Tuesday, the CDC announced that fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear masks outdoors unless they are in large crowds of strangers. Unvaccinated people can drop face coverings in some cases, too.
“It means that we are going in the right direction," Fauci said of the policy update.
"The thing that's become clear, just from the scientific evidence, that the risk of getting infected if you are vaccinated and outdoors is extremely low, I mean minisculely low, and that's the reason why the CDC has now come out and made these kinds of recommendations, making it much more flexible for people who are vaccinated to get out and enjoy the outdoors."
Despite the organization changing its mask guidelines, the infectious diseases doctor said COVID-19 is still a risk as many areas across the nation still see thousands of cases per day.
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The mask policy change comes as more than half of U.S. adults have gotten at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and more than one-third have been fully vaccinated.
Prior guidelines from the CDC suggest that “masks may not be necessary when you are outside by yourself away from others, or with people who live in your household.”
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