Samuel Case, FISM News
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On Thursday, the CDC updated its guidelines to advise that those who have been fully vaccinated can ditch their masks in most settings.
CDC director Rochelle Walensky said “anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing.” Masks are still recommended for crowded indoor settings such as buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters.
Today, CDC is updating our guidance for fully vaccinated people. Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing. If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment, when we can get back to some sense of normalcy. Based on the continuing downward trajectory of cases, the scientific data on the performance of our vaccines, and our understanding of how the virus spreads, that moment has come for those who are fully vaccinated.
Following the announcement President Joe Biden released a tweet saying “the rule is now simple: get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do.”
The rule is now simple: get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do.
The choice is yours.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 13, 2021
Despite the change in CDC guidelines, hard left cities like Los Angeles are hesitant to toss the mask. Dr. Barbara Ferrer, LA County health director, says masks will remain mandatory until regulators meet on May 20th to discuss potential changes.
Dr. Ferrer said, “I think CDC wrote in multiple places that people really do need to adhere to worker protections and state and local directives. It’s important for us to remember that we do need to protect workers, particularly those workers that are in essential work environments.”
The CDC announcement comes as the number of vaccinated Americans continue to rise, particularly in older populations. As of Thursday, May 13th, CDC data shows 46.6% of Americans have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, with 84% of those 65 or older having received at least one shot.