US health officials have updated their guidance on what activities fully vaccinated people can safely do without the need to wear a mask.
It comes as more than half of all adults in America have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Joe Biden said the new advice was a direct result of steps the country had taken to fight the coronavirus.
The CDC has released a graphic of what fully vaccinated people can safely do without masks
The president said: “We’ve made stunning progress because of all of you,” adding that COVID-19 cases are “down dramatically.”
Deaths among pensioners have dropped by 80%, as vaccinations have increased, he said.
The CDC says people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second jab in a two-dose process, such as the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.
Or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen jab.
The new recommendations from the CDC say they can take part in the following activities unmasked:
• Walking, running, hiking or cycling outdoors alone or with members of their household
• Attending small outdoor gatherings with fully vaccinated family and friends
• Attending small outdoor gatherings with a mixture of fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people
• Dining at outdoor restaurants with friends from multiple households.
Also, if Americans who have been vaccinated have been around someone who has COVID-19, they do not need to stay away from others, and they do not need to get tested unless they have symptoms.
However, the CDC continues to recommend mask-wearing for crowded outdoor events such as parades and sporting events, and indoor visits to the hairdressers, shopping centres, cinemas and places of worship.
The CDC also said unvaccinated people can walk and run unmasked with household members outdoors safely and attend small outdoor gatherings with fully vaccinated family and friends.
Wearing face masks has been considered by experts one of the most effective ways of controlling the spread of the virus.
With most transmission happening indoors, and vaccinations on the rise, the use of masks outdoors has been under public debate for weeks in the US as Americans look to enjoy the benefits of being fully vaccinated.
New COVID cases are down by 16% in the past week as the US surpassed 140 million people having received at least one shot of a vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson.
This was the biggest percentage drop in weekly new cases since February, according to Reuters.
During the pandemic, the US has had the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths, with more than 573,000 fatalities.
