Governor Reaction To Easing Of CDC Outdoor Mask Guidelines

N-95 mask

Sacramento, CA — U.S. health officials say those fully vaccinated do not need to wear masks outdoors unless they are in a big crowd of strangers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the updated guidance Tuesday. Previously they advised that people should wear masks outdoors if they were within 6 feet of each other. Governor Gavin Newsom had this reaction to the new guidelines, “California has made incredible progress in controlling the spread of COVID-19, resulting in the lowest positivity rate in the country. And we have administered more than 28 million vaccine doses, including almost 6 million to those who live in our hardest-hit communities. After reviewing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s masking recommendations, and with science and data as our guide, we are moving to align California’s guidance with these common-sense updates.”

The CDC switch comes as more than half of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, and more than a third have been fully vaccinated. The changes advise that fully vaccinated or not, people do not have to wear masks outdoors when they walk, bike, or run alone or with members of their household. They also can go maskless in small outdoor gatherings with fully vaccinated people.

The CDC continues to recommend unvaccinated people wear masks at outdoor gatherings that include other unvaccinated people. They also should keep using masks at outdoor restaurants. Newsom stressed, “While more than half of Californians 16 and older are partially or fully vaccinated, many others are still not vaccinated, and the threat of variants remains. We need to remain vigilant and continue public health prevention measures – like wearing masks when appropriate and getting vaccinated – but the light at the end of this tunnel has never been brighter.”

The coronavirus has killed more than 570,000 people in the U.S., the highest death toll in the world.