The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it plans to amend its face mask rules so that individuals who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus no longer have to don face masks in outdoor areas of public transportation.
The CDC said it will not “require people to wear a mask in outdoor areas of conveyances (if such outdoor areas exist on the conveyance) or while outdoors at transportation hubs.”
The change means that masks are not required for vaccinated individuals while they are outdoors at transportation hubs such as airports, train stations, and bus terminals, or when they are on the deck of a ferry or in an open-air trolley car.
The agency cautioned that those who are not yet vaccinated must, however, wear a face mask.
The CDC first issued an order requiring face masks on public transportation on January 29, 2021, shortly after the inauguration of President Joseph Biden. The agency will amend this order, “as soon as practicable,” to reflect the new guidance.
The CDC said it has yet to update its face-mask related order but that it will “exercise its enforcement discretion” in the interim period.
Face masks continue to be required indoors at transportation hubs as well as on planes, trains, and buses.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
