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Fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to wear a mask outside, except in crowded settings, under new guidelines released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During a White House briefing, public health officials said fully vaccinated individuals can unmask while walking, running, hiking, or biking outdoors alone or with members of their household. (Rodriguez, 4/27)

"If you are vaccinated, things are much safer for you," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday at a White House briefing. "If you are fully vaccinated and want to attend a small outdoor gathering — with people who are vaccinated and unvaccinated — or dine at an outdoor restaurant with friends from multiple households, the science shows you can do so safely, unmasked." (Aubrey, 4/27)

Walensky declined to define a “small gathering.” She said it was difficult to provide an exact number because it depends on the size of the space for gathering, the space between people and the amount of ventilation. (Lovelace Jr., 4/27)

In a news release, L.A. County’s Department of Public Health called the changes “appropriate and science-based” and said it would be adjusting its health orders to meet them. But officials cautioned that more than half the residents of L.A. County are not yet fully vaccinated and that the new recommendations still support the need for both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people to wear masks in crowds where social distancing isn’t possible and in indoor settings where unvaccinated people may be present. (Miller, 4/27)

A leader of the Michigan Republican Party shared an inaccurate message on social media early Tuesday that suggested masks do not keep people safe and employees should sue their bosses at workplaces where masks are required. The retweet from MIGOP Co-Chair Meshawn Maddock comes as Michigan remains one of the worst COVID-19 hot spots in the country amid some Republican skepticism about masks, vaccines and other mitigation efforts. (Boucher, 4/27)

In its gradual return to normal, the US took another step forward this week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance Tuesday on the activities fully vaccinated Americans can safely enjoy without a mask. The agency said fully vaccinated people can unmask at small outdoor gatherings or when dining outside with friends from multiple households -- activities the CDC said require unvaccinated people to still wear a mask. But some experts say the new guidance is too cautious and doesn't offer a strong enough incentive for Americans who still are on the fence about getting a shot or who may have already been unmasking in those settings. (Maxouris, 4/28)

In the small Nebraska town of Oxford, the school district dropped its mask mandate last month in what was a fairly straight-forward decision: Cases were down dramatically, and it didn’t bother local officials that their move flouted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Those federal mask guidelines just didn’t seem to fit local conditions well in the town of about 800 people where hardly anyone wears a mask. “We haven’t paid a whole lot of attention to what is going on at the federal level — mainly what is coming out through the state,” Southern Valley Superintendent Bryce Jorgensen said. “You just can’t compare Chicago to Oxford, Nebraska. Things are just different.” (Johnson, Funk and Stobbe, 4/28)

Are you one of the growing numbers of Americans who are fully vaccinated? If so, you can now get more of your pre-Covid life back, according to new guidelines released Tuesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Remember: You're not considered "fully vaccinated" until two weeks after you got a single-dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. (LaMotte, 4/28)