Outdoor activities are safe without masks — regardless of whether a person is vaccinated — as long as people are either alone or with immediate family members, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. And fully vaccinated people can gather safely outdoors without masks in small groups.
The new guidance is part of an update from the agency on what activities are safest for Americans, depending on whether they are fully vaccinated; that is, those who are two weeks out from their last dose of Covid-19 vaccine.
"Over the past year, we have spent a lot of time telling Americans what they cannot do, what they should not do," the CDC's director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said at a briefing Tuesday. "Today, I'm going to tell you some of the things you can do if you are fully vaccinated."
People who are fully vaccinated should also feel comfortable without face coverings outside with other small groups when it's unclear whether others have had their shots.

While the Covid-19 vaccines have been shown to be extremely effective, they should not be relied upon for absolute protection.Because the vaccine is 95 percent effective, not 100 percent.