When to Take Off Your Mask Outdoors, According to the CDC
It goes without saying that masks are important to wear indoors and in crowded environments, but the CDC is now officially declaring that they are not always necessary outdoors. Outdoor camouflage is still recommended if you are in a crowd or if you are not vaccinated and will be around unvaccinated people outside your home. But in some cases, you can now take off your masks outdoors without violating recommended health guidelines.
This is how new rules break.
If you are walking, jogging, or cycling outdoors
If you are vaccinated, you do not need to wear a mask outdoors, such as when you go for a walk. If others are walking alongside you, use the CDC Visiting Guidelines to determine if you need to disguise. (If the group includes unvaccinated people from more than one household, everyone should wear masks.)
If you are not vaccinated, you should still wear a mask when walking or exercising with a group, unless you are only with vaccinated people or people in your family. Again, this guide reflects current guidelines for visiting others indoors.
In small outdoor gatherings
If you are attending an outdoor meeting with other people, fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks. Unvaccinated people should still wear them if unvaccinated people from other households are present at the meeting.
At an outdoor sports event, live performance or parade.
In these cases, you are in a crowd or next to many other people. Wear a mask whether you are vaccinated or not. The CDC classifies this scenario as a low risk for a fully vaccinated person wearing a mask and a higher risk (“least safe”) for an unvaccinated person, even with a mask.
Meals in the open-air restaurant
Fully vaccinated people can safely eat outside without a mask, even if they live with multiple families, according to the CDC. But the situation is a moderate risk for people who are not fully vaccinated, so if they leave, unvaccinated people should wear a mask whenever possible, and they should be aware that this scenario is not a low risk.
The above CDC chart shows the distribution of fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people in different scenarios. (Remember, if your last dose of vaccine has not expired after another two weeks , you must follow the instructions for the unvaccinated category.)
In these situations, fully vaccinated people can protect themselves by wearing a mask where needed, such as at a crowded outdoor event. In situations where disguise is warranted, unvaccinated people should continue to wear the mask and keep 6 feet away from others and wash their hands.
The CDC also notes that these risk assessments assume that the site in question complies with the relevant safety regulations, and also reports that they are approximate values of risk and not guarantees of safety. If your instinct tells you to put on a mask, put it on anyway.