Us lifts order to wear masks for the vaccinated

In a watershed moment, US President Joe Biden declares ‘a great day’ in the long fight against the pandemic.

US Vice-President Kamala Harris looks on as Joe Biden delivers remarks on the pandemic from the Rose Garden of the White House on Friday. Picture: AFP

The top US health agency on Thursday (Friday AEST) said it was lifting mask-wearing guidance for people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a watershed moment that President Joe Biden called “a great day” in the long pandemic fight.

The announcement by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) marked an abrupt turnaround after more than a year of urging people to cover their faces to stem the spread.

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

“If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic.”

In an emotional address from the White House, Mr Biden declared a major victory in the battle against the virus that has seen more than 580,000 Americans die.

“I think it’s a great milestone, a great day,” he said.

However the president noted that the CDC decision applied only to people who have received both shots of vaccines.

Mr Biden implored those yet to be completely vaccinated to keep wearing masks for now.

“Please protect yourself until we get to the finish line. Because as great as this announcement is, we don’t want to let up. We all know how tough this virus us. The safest thing for the country, is for everyone to get vaccinated,” he said.

The move sparked joyful reactions in some, but others experienced whiplash and said they would continue to wear their masks out of caution.

“I’m still going to wear a mask inside,” said Mubarak Dahir, a 57-year-old tourist in the capital Washington who was visiting from Florida. “I think it’s premature, it’s a little dangerous to believe that we are that far already.”

But Desmond, a 67-year-old in Lafayette Square, said: “It’s great news... we have come a long way in 14 months!”

Accumulating data shows the extremely high efficacy of authorised vaccines, not just to prevent symptomatic COVID-19 but also asymptomatic infection and onward transmission.

Almost 60 per cent of US adults now have one or more doses, while cases are falling fast, down to a seven-day-average of 38,000 or 11 per 100,000. And on Thursday, the campaign to vaccinate adolescents aged 12-to-15 began in earnest following the authorisation of the Pfizer vaccine in this age group.

According to the CDC’s website, masks may still be required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation travelling into, within, or out of America, and in US transportation hubs such as airports and stations.

Fully vaccinated international travellers arriving in the US still need to get tested within three days of their flight, or show documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the past three months.

Dr Walensky said people who are immune compromised should talk to their doctor before giving up their mask. Finally, she added, the guidance was subject to change if the situation worsens.

Mr Biden spoke about the hundreds of thousands of deaths and the lives up-ended for millions more as they missed family gatherings and important rituals.

He heaped praise on ordinary Americans who, he said, had met the challenge head on — and better than in some other countries.

“You’ve endured all this. When your country asked you to get vaccinated, you did. The American people stepped up. You did what I consider to be your patriotic duty. That’s how we got to this day. As president, I can say I’m pleased... but not surprised,” he said.

“As the virus tragically rages in other countries, as other nations, even wealthy nations, are mired in the challenges of slow vaccine rollout and poor economic conditions, things are very different here.”

Mr Biden noted that coronavirus cases are down in 49 of 50 states, saying deaths were down 80 per cent to their lowest level since April 2020, when the disease was just taking a grip. However, “it’s going to take a little more time,” he said. “Most people under the age of 65 aren’t vaccinated yet.”

AFP