Citing ‘Stunning Progress’ On Coronavirus, Biden Lifts Outdoor Mask Guidelines

• Fully vaccinated people can safely engage in outdoor activities like walking and hiking without wearing masks but should continue to use face-coverings in public spaces where they are required, U.S. health regulators and President Joe Biden said on Tuesday while urging those who have not to get the shot.
• The updated health advice comes as just over 29% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, the CDC reported, and 43% have had one dose of the two-shot vaccines.
• "We’ve made stunning progress because of all of you," Biden said, adding that COVID-19 cases are "down dramatically." Deaths among senior citizens have dropped by 80% as vaccinations have increased, he said.
• The CDC called the new guidelines a "first step" in helping fully vaccinated Americans to resume activities they had stopped because of the pandemic.
• The White House is trying to overcome vaccine hesitancy, and Biden offered the new mask guidelines as another reason to get inoculated.

(Source: Reuters)