New CDC Guidance: CA To Relax Outdoor Mask Mandate

CALIFORNIA — People who have been fully vaccinated can safely gather outdoors in small groups without masks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. The Golden State confirmed that it will follow that guidance.

Those who are unvaccinated can go outside without masks in some situations as well, the CDC said.

The state gave the green light Tuesday to follow the new federal guidance, which comes in stark contrast to the more stringent mandates Californians are used to.

"After reviewing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s masking recommendations, and with science and data as our guide, we are moving to align California’s guidance with these common-sense updates," Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

Officials from the California Department of Public Health could not confirm for Patch whether the state's official mask mandate will be revised or lifted. The current mandate, which came down in November last year, requires masking in all public settings. One exception, aside from those for medical reasons, said that people may be unmasked outdoors as long as they are 6 feet away from anyone outside of their own household.

"Today is another day we can take a step back to the normalcy of before. ... Over the past year, we have spent a lot of time telling Americans what they cannot do, what they should not do," the CDC's director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said at a briefing Tuesday. "Today, I'm going to tell you some of the things you can do if you are fully vaccinated."

People are considered fully vaccinated 14 days after receiving their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the first and only dose of the Johnson & Johnson one.

The CDC also released a list of activities that are considered safe for those who are vaccinated. That guidance said that unmasked people may walk, run, bike or attend a small outdoor gathering with members of a household, even if participants are unvaccinated.

"If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing many things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic," the CDC's website said. "Outdoor visits and activities are safer than indoor activities, and fully vaccinated people can participate in some indoor events safely, without much risk."

The state touted a record low coronavirus positivity rate of 1.2 percent on Tuesday, which became the lowest in the nation last week. Also, more than 50 percent of Californians 16 and older were either partially or fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, Dr. Tomás Aragón, California's public health officer, said Tuesday.

But, he added, "Many others are still not vaccinated, and the threat of variants remains. We continue to urge all eligible Californians to get vaccinated to help us move past this pandemic."

Dr. Mike Saag, an infectious disease expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, weighed in on the major change in guidance. "It’s the return of freedom," Saag said. "It’s the return of us being able to do normal activities again. We’re not there yet, but we’re on the exit ramp. And that’s a beautiful thing."

Some experts said that the relaxed guidance was a reward and could be a motivator for more people to get vaccinated. President Joe Biden reiterated this message.

"The bottom line is clear: If you’re vaccinated, you can do more things, more safely, both outdoors as well as indoors," Biden said. "So for those who haven’t gotten their vaccinations yet, especially if you’re younger or thinking you don’t need it, this is another great reason to go get vaccinated now."

The U.S. and the Golden State also announced this week that they would send "life-saving oxygen equipment" to India, a country that is in the middle of a rapidly spreading surge.

California joined several other states in the U.S. effort to render aid to India following a call to the White House for help. The Biden administration on Sunday said it would provide more medical aid to the country, including materials for vaccine production, test kits, ventilators and protective equipment.

"When communities across the world need help, California steps up," Newsom said Monday. "As we surpass 28 million vaccinations and continue to see the lowest positivity rates in the country, we must meet this moment with compassion by aiding those that are hardest hit by this pandemic."

READ MORE: CA Sends Oxygen Supplies To Coronavirus-Devastated India

Coronavirus Data In California As Of Tuesday

• California has 3,633,185 confirmed cases to date.

• 1,445 newly recorded confirmed cases.

• The seven-day positivity rate is 1.2 percent.

• There have been 59,484,125 tests conducted in California.

• There have been 60,208 COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

• 28,682,914 vaccine doses have been administered statewide.