Vaccinated - Americans can go maskless outside

Vaccinated – President Joe Biden kept his face mask on Tuesday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said fully vaccinated Americans can now safely go without masks outside, saying he was doing so to make a point.

Biden wore his face mask as he came out onto the North Lawn of the White House to deliver remarks on the coronavirus pandemic. He paired the dark mask with his signature aviator sunglasses against the bright, sunny day.

He took the mask off to speak – waiting until he reached the podium to do so – and said he walked out of the White House wearing one so people could watch him remove it and not put it back on until he was back inside the building.

‘Watching me take if off and not put it back on until I’m inside,’ he said when asked what message he was giving. There was only a few reporters and staff on hand for his outdoor remarks.

Biden was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before he took the oath of office on Inauguration Day in January.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president will follow the new guidelines but conceded it will take some time to adapt the new habit.

‘He’ll be following public health guidelines so I think you saw him outside today – he took the mask off, he didn’t put the mask back on,’ she said at her press briefing. ‘It will take some time to adjust and adapt for all of us.’

The president spoke for a little than five minutes about the pandemic, where he encouraged people to get vaccinated as the inoculation rate in the United States has started to drop off. He pointed out getting vaccinated means getting back to normal life.

‘Vaccines are about saving your life, but also the lives of the people around you, but they’re also about helping to get us get back to closer to living our normal lives, getting together with friends, going through the park for a picnic without needing a basket or back to that place now as long as you get vaccinated,’ Biden said. ‘So go get the shot. It’s never been easier.’

He also pointed out the new CDC guidelines: ‘Starting today, if you’re fully vaccinated and you’re outdoors and not in a big crowd, you no longer need to wear a mask.’

After his remarks, he left the podium, set up next to the driveway outside the White House, with his face mask in hand.

Source – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/