CDC Updates Outdoor Mask Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People

As a follow-up to the previously released suggestions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released new guidance for people who have been fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine. This update loosens the CDC’s mask-wearing recommendations for those fully vaccinated, allowing many outdoor activities without a mask.

People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose vaccine series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The new guidance says that people fully vaccinated can gather or conduct activities outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and venues. Fully vaccinated people can participate in the following activities without a mask:

• Walking, running or biking outdoors with members of the same household
• Attending a small, outdoor gathering with fully vaccinated family and friends
• Attending a small, outdoor gathering with fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people
• Dining at an outdoor restaurant with friends from multiple households

For those fully vaccinated, the CDC still recommends wearing a mask in indoor settings.

According to the agency, it is also safe for unvaccinated people to walk, run or bike outdoors with members of their household or attend a small, outdoor gathering with fully vaccinated family and friends without wearing a mask. However, the CDC recommends that unvaccinated people continue to wear a mask when around unvaccinated people, including at both indoor and outdoor gatherings.

To learn more about mask-wearing guidance and choosing safer activities, the CDC offers this resource.