The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued some new guidelines on Tuesday in regards of wearing masks outdoors. They stated that fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to wear masks unless they are in big crowds.

Those who aren’t vaccinated or haven’t received the full those yet, can also go outside without a mask in some situations.

The new guidance represents a step on the road back to normal from the Covid-19 outbreak that has killed over 570 thousand people across the U.S.

For the past year, the CDC has been encouraging people to wear masks outdoors, even when social distancing.

The new guidance comes as a result of having more than half of the U.S. population having at least the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. More than a third has already been fully vaccinated.

Dr. Rochelle Walensdy, CDC Director / Susan Walsh Pool via Reuters

CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that “”Today, I hope, is a day when we can take another step back to the normalcy of before”.

Dr. Mike Saag, an infectious disease expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, welcomed the change and commented: “It’s the return of us being able to do normal activities again. We’re not there yet, but we’re on the exit ramp. And that’s a beautiful thing.”

Prior the the CDC announcement on Tuesday, Texas had already ended its mask mandate. They had also allowed all business to fully reopen and more activity freedom.