RICHMOND, Va. -- Following updated mask guidance from the CDCon Thursday, Gov. Ralph Northam said Virginia is reviewing the new mask and distancing recommendations.
Northam said that guidance will be updated accordingly and that Virginia will continue to follow CDC guidelines.
Virginia will continue to follow @CDCgov guidelines as we have done throughout this pandemic. We are reviewing the new mask and distancing recommendations and will update our guidance accordingly.
— Governor Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) May 13, 2021
If you have not been vaccinated, visit https://t.co/loFwXNE6Rr and get your shot! https://t.co/XUlJJIuzit
On Thursday, the CDC eased mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings.
“If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask," President Joe Biden said, summarizing the new guidance and encouraging more Americans to roll up their sleeves. “Get vaccinated — or wear a mask until you do.”
The guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools, and other venues — even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.
“We have all longed for this moment — when we can get back to some sense of normalcy,” said Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said at an earlier White House briefing.
Walensky said the long-awaited change is thanks to the millions of people who have gotten vaccinated and is based on the latest science about how well those shots are working.
