The US government health authorities informed on April 27, 2021 that fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear masks outdoors, except at crowded events. 

According to the newly released guidance from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fully vaccinated people can eat, walk, jog, run, bike and dine with small groups at outdoor restaurants without a mask. 

The government body stated, "If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing many things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic." The new guidelines follow growing calls from infectious disease experts to drop mask mandates outside because breezes rapidly disperse airborne virus particles, distancing is easier, and humidity and sunlight dampen the coronavirus' ability to spread.

Why masks are not necessary outdoors for fully vaccinated people?
As per health experts in the US, outdoor activities are a safe environment and there is very little evidence of viral spread, mask or not. Masks are required outdoors where people are in close proximity with each for a prolonged period of time such as a protest or a sporting event. 

Where are masks necessary?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that masks are still considered necessary for vaccinated people if they are at concerts, parades or large sporting events, even when outdoors. 

Besides this, masks have been considered mandatory for all indoor activities including movie theaters and even "uncrowded" indoor shopping centers and museums.

Significance
•The new guidelines aim to help the fully vaccinated return to daily routines while encouraging others to get their vaccine shots as soon as they can. As per growing evidence, fully vaccinated people are less likely to have asymptomatic infections or transmit coronavirus to others. 

•However, health officials are still not clear for how long that protection lasts and exactly how much the vaccines protect against emerging virus variants. Still, the CDC has decided to take steps to relax certain measures for vaccinated people to help improve coronavirus vaccine acceptance and uptake.

•The CDC had told fully vaccinated Americans last month that they could gather indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing masks and could visit indoors with unvaccinated people under certain conditions.

Background
Almost more than half of all US adults have now received at least one or two vaccine doses. With the vaccination drive in full swing in the United States, new COVID-19 cases have also been falling.