After two years of the pandemic, the worst might just be over. Fully vaccinated Americans can ditch the masks, reduce the social distancing measures, and will soon start enjoying their post-Covid lives again. 

According to a press briefing Thursday, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that fully vaccinated people could stop wearing masks indoors and outdoors gatherings no matter the size. 

Additionally, according to the newly updated CDC’s website guidance, there is no need for social distancing among fully vaccinated individuals. The gradual "unmasking" of fully vaccinated people had started in March. The CDC first allowed indoors gathering without masks for fully vaccinated people. But finally gave green light to “unmask” outside on Thursday. 

Fully vaccinated Americans waited Too Long to Ditch the Masks

It took the fully vaccinated people at least two weeks for the vaccine shot to take effect. Their patience was finally rewarded with dropping most in most places except for healthcare settings, homeless shelters, public transportation, and airports. Private companies and airlines may or may not enforce mask rules as they wish. 

"Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor or outdoor activities. Large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing," Walensky said. "If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic."

"This announcement is long overdue," Dr. Leana Wen, the former health commissioner of Baltimore, had told Insider. "The CDC is at risk for being irrelevant and their advice not trusted. They need to clearly demonstrate the power of the vaccine in preventing infection and illness."

The only bad news about mask removal is that some health professionals believe that the new variants appearing here and there across the globe might be a problem. For instance, it is still unclear whether the vaccines are fully effective with the new variants.

In conclusion, the vaccine protection’s timeline isn’t precise. Since booster shots are designed to extend immunity it is safer for fully vaccinated people to keep masks indoors until herd immunity takes place across the whole country.