Here's Why the CDC Decided Fully-Vaccinated People Can Go Maskless Indoors

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says people who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance whether they are inside, outside, in a small group, or large group. The updated guidance was announced on Thursday, May 13, at a White House briefing.

Because the CDC has been so conservative with its COVID projections and guidance, the change came as a surprise to many. It was just over two weeks ago that the organization affirmed fully vaccinated people could go maskless outside.

“Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” said CDC director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, during the Thursday 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.”

It's important to note the federal guidance is just that: guidance. People will still need to wear masks if mandated by their state/territory, workplace, or establishment they are visiting.

The New Mask Guidance Doesn't Apply to Everyone

According to Glenn Wortmann, MD, FIDSA, FACP, Section Director of Infectious Diseases at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, the new CDC guidance includes some caveats.

"For example, it doesn’t apply to [fully-vaccinated] people with depressed immune systems, such as people who have received transplants or who are on immunpsuppressing drugs," Wortmann tells Verywell.

The guidance is also notably silent on how kids under 12—who are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination—will or will not be at risk if most of the adults in their life stop wearing masks.

Why the Sudden Change?

In response to a reporter’s question on whether the CDC was basing its updated guidelines on science or recent criticism, Walensky said several things have happened in the last two weeks that prompted the decision:

• COVID-19 cases in this country dropped by a third
• Communities received more vaccine supply
• Young adults between the ages of 12 and 15 are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer, specifically)

Walensky said recent studies demonstrating the success of the vaccines also powered the decision.

Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine on May 5 shows the vaccines are highly effective against variants. Specifically, the shots are 89.5% effective against any documented infection with the B.1.1.7 variant, and 75% effective against infection with the B.1.351 variant. Vaccines are even more effective at preventing severe, critical, or fatal cases of COVID-19: 97.4% for either variant.

Walensky also cited a May 6 study published in JAMA, which shows vaccination significantly reduces both symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 infection.

You Don't Have to Ditch Your Mask

Despite the new guidance, many public health experts say there is no rush to abandon the precaution of mask-wearing.

“Go at your own pace,” Leana Wen, MD, MSc, FAAEM, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, tells Verywell. “Consider seeing people outdoors without masks only, then indoors only with those you know to be fully vaccinated.” 

At the White House briefing, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci, MD, expressed that while vaccines are extremely effective, there's nothing wrong with playing it safe and continuing to wear a mask.

"As we know, the risk is extremely low of getting infected if you're vaccinated, whether you're indoors or outdoors," Facui said. "But there are those people who don't want to take that bit of a risk. There's nothing wrong with that, and they shouldn't be criticized.” 

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.