Vaccinated US residents allowed not to wear masks or keep distance

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has allowed residents of the country who have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus to refuse to wear masks and keep distance on the street and indoors. The new recommendations were presented by CDC director Rochelle Walensky, CNBC reports.

Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities... without a mask or physical distancing. If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing things that you stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all been looking forward to this moment when we can return to some sense of normalcy.

However, Americans who have completed vaccinations must continue to wear masks and maintain social distancing if required by federal, state, or local business rules. They must also wear masks on public transport, airports and train stations.

• According to CDC standards, a person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the last dose of the vaccine. Three vaccines are currently approved in the US: Pfizer or Moderna, which require two doses, and Johnson & Johnson, which requires a single dose.
• According to the CDC, 154 million people in the country (46% of the population) have received at least one dose of the vaccine so far. 117.6 million people (35% of the population) are considered fully vaccinated.
• The White House expects that by July 4 - US Independence Day - the number of fully vaccinated residents of the country will reach 160 million.