US Likely to Ease Outdoor Mask Guidelines for Vaccinated Individuals

Source: CNBC

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The Biden administration in the United States is expected to ease outdoor mask-wearing guidelines for COVID-19 vaccinated individuals, NBC News reported on the 26th (local time).

The media cited anonymous sources saying that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is likely to announce new guidelines regarding outdoor mask-wearing as early as the 27th.

Earlier over the weekend, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to President Biden and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), also stated that the announcement of new mask guidelines is imminent.

Dr. Fauci said, "The (CDC's) guidelines on what vaccinated and unvaccinated people can do will be updated," adding, "Please continue to follow the current guidelines until the new ones are released."

The CDC's current guidelines recommend that even vaccinated individuals maintain social distancing when meeting two or more unvaccinated people who are not from the same household in public places.

Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert at the University of Toronto, said, "I support the guidelines expected to be announced by the CDC," adding, "So far, cases of COVID-19 infection during outdoor activities have been rarely found."

He emphasized, "Indoor mask-wearing should remain mandatory until the majority of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated."

This revision of mask-wearing guidelines comes as the number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in the U.S. continues to rise and ahead of President Biden's 100th day in office.

At the start of his presidency, President Biden urged Americans to wear masks for 100 days and signed an executive order mandating mask-wearing in federal government buildings and on federal property.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.