Scientific American is the essential guide to the most awe-inspiring advances in science and technology, explaining how they change our understanding of the world and shape our lives. The agency’s latest guidelines provide an incentive for people to get vaccinated, but some may see them as premature
Editor’s Note (5/13/21): After this story was published, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines stating that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most indoor settings, apart from certain places, such as hospitals, nursing homes, jails and public transportation. The agency also updated earlier guidance on outdoor masking, saying vaccinated individuals do not need to wear masks when they are outside, regardless of crowd size. The latest recommendations could incentivize more Americans to get vaccinated, but they are likely to stir debate about whether the move is premature. Immunocompromised people should consult their doctors before going maskless, said CDC director Rochelle Walensky in a White House briefing announcing the new guidance. Many vaccinated people may opt to keep their mask on, and they should not be criticized, said Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical adviser, at the press briefing. Citing the extremely low risk of outdoor COVID-19 transmission, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks when they are outside in small groups of friends or family. The CDC still recommends outdoor masking for unvaccinated (or partially vaccinated) individuals—and for fully vaccinated people at large outdoor gatherings such as sports events or concerts—until widespread vaccination is achieved. The new guidance acknowledges something many experts on airborne virus transmission have been saying for months: the risk of getting COVID is a lot lower outdoors than indoors.
