Pouch: "If Vaccination Is Complete, Remove Masks Outdoors"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), stated that if you have completed your COVID-19 vaccination, you do not need to wear a mask outdoors.

On the 13th (local time), Fauci appeared on CBS and said, "If you have been vaccinated, you do not necessarily have to wear a mask outdoors."

While he emphasized that masks should be worn in very crowded situations, he added, "In other cases, if you have been vaccinated and are outdoors, take off your mask. You do not have to wear it."

U.S. media gave significant attention to Fauci's remarks because he specifically limited the situations requiring masks to extremely crowded environments.

This is a somewhat more relaxed suggestion compared to the CDC guidelines, which recommend wearing masks both indoors and outdoors where many people gather. Media outlets speculated that Dr. Fauci was signaling an upcoming change in the CDC's mask guidelines.

CNN also reported, citing sources, that the CDC will revise its indoor mask-wearing guidelines for those who have completed vaccination.

Meanwhile, President Biden is scheduled to deliver a speech on COVID-19 response late in the afternoon. Earlier, President Biden was seen returning to his office without a mask right after the CDC recommended that masks are not necessary outdoors when it is not crowded.

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