CDC updates mask guidance

Americans who have received a COVID-19 vaccine don’t need to wear face coverings outside unless they are in large crowds. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommendations on Tuesday to say unvaccinated people can also safely go maskless outdoors alone, with members of their household, or at small outdoor gatherings with those who have received a shot.

Is that a big change? Most Americans have already started dropping the face coverings when they aren’t inside, but the CDC has erred on the safe side with its guidelines, suggesting people wear masks if they were within 6 feet of others, even outside. More than half of U.S. adults have received at least one shot, and more than a third are fully vaccinated. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky noted that vaccination numbers are still going up, and case counts are dropping along with hospitalizations and deaths.

Dig deeper: Listen to Anna Johansen’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about how health officials monitor vaccine side effects.