Despite some early mixed messages, health officials have repeatedly told Americans that wearing a face mask — both indoors and outdoors — is essential to curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

But as COVID-19 slows dramatically, that advice is changing.

People who are now fully vaccinated for COVID-19 can safely stop wearing masks in many outdoor settings, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.

Masks are still recommended for everyone while in crowded outdoor settings, such as packed stadiums and concerts, the CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said. But the sustained pace of vaccinations — with 37% of adults nationally fully vaccinated — followed by falling coronavirus case rates nationally meant it was time to relax guidance for when to wear masks for fully vaccinated people, Walensky said, including in outdoor social gatherings such as shared meals.

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