Mask Off in the US... Biden Calls It a "Great Day" (Summary)

Biden's Speech After CDC Revises Mask Use Guidelines
No Mask Needed Indoors or Outdoors If Fully Vaccinated
Social Distancing Also Ended
Encouraging Vaccination to Remove Masks

U.S. President Joe Biden is walking in the White House garden without wearing a mask or practicing social distancing, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. health authorities have recommended that people who have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations do not need to wear masks in most indoor and outdoor situations. This is being seen as the United States beginning its return to normal life.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced a new guideline on the 13th (local time) during the White House COVID-19 response team briefing, calling it an "exciting and intense moment." She stated that people who have completed their COVID-19 vaccinations do not need to wear masks or practice social distancing in most indoor or outdoor settings.

This means that activities can be conducted indoors as well as outdoors regardless of social distancing. It is essentially a declaration to end mask-wearing and social distancing measures that have been in place for over a year.

President Joe Biden also emphasized at the White House Rose Garden that afternoon, saying, "Today is a great day and a tremendous milestone," and called it "a great day in America's war against COVID-19." President Biden did not wear a mask both when appearing on and leaving the podium that day.

The Associated Press described this as "a measure to return the United States to life before the pandemic." The Washington Post explained that it "laid the foundation for a full societal reopening" and "symbolizes a huge shift for Americans who have lived under regulations for over a year and are exhausted by the pandemic."

According to the CDC, as of the 12th, approximately 117.647 million people, or 35.4% of the total U.S. population, have completed their vaccinations. About 59% of adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The U.S. aims to have 70% of adults receive at least one vaccine dose by Independence Day, July 4. The number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. was 590 on this day, marking the lowest since April of last year.