Fully-vaccinated Americans can return to life without masks: CDC

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will no longer recommend masks for fully-vaccinated Americans indoors or outdoors, including in crowds, according to its new guidance announced on Thursday, reported Xinhua.

"Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told a White House briefing. "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," she added.

The mask mandate was cancelled after Walensky faced criticism for the CDC being too slow to provide a path back to normalcy for fully vaccinated people. Walensky has defended the CDC's approach as scientifically-based to ensure protection not just for individuals but also the entire U.S. population.

There have been reports of "breakthrough" infections among vaccinated people in the United States. Walensky noted that "the resulting infection is more likely to have a lower viral load, may be shorter in duration, and likely less risk of transmission to others."

Meanwhile, the requirement to wear masks during travel -- on buses, trains, planes and public transportation -- still stands, Walensky said, and the guidance for travel will be updated as science emerges. Even vaccinated individuals must cover their faces and physically distance when going to doctors, hospitals or long-term care facilities like nursing homes.

"The past year has shown us that this virus can be unpredictable, so if things get worse, there is always a chance we may need to make a change to these recommendations," she added.

According to official figures, as of Wednesday, about 154 million people in the United States have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but only about one-third of the nation, some 117.6 million people, have been fully vaccinated.