New CDC mask guidelines acknowledge that ‘vaccinated people can go back to normal,’ says doctor

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated masking guidelines mark a significant shift in the pandemic, the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health said Thursday.

“Basically, it’s acknowledging that vaccinated people can go back to normal, and can do most of the things we were doing pre-pandemic, and that is really, really terrific news,” said Dr. Ashish Jha. 

The new CDC rules advise that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a face mask or stay 6 feet away from others in most outdoor or indoor settings. 

Jha told CNBC’s “The News with Shepard Smith” that he thinks states should leave indoor mask mandates for another month, so that people who got their shot on April 19th would be fully vaccinated. President Joe Biden opened up Covid vaccination eligibility to all U.S. residents 18 years and older on April 19.

Jha also advised unvaccinated children continue to wear a mask. 

“I’m going to ask my unvaccinated 9-year-old to wear a mask if we go indoors to someplace like a grocery store because I’m going to assume that there are other unvaccinated people who are maskless… We’re going to have to have some kids still wearing masks for a little while,” Jha said.