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Virginians will still need to wear masks indoors and at large, crowded events outside, but Gov. Ralph Northam amended his executive order Thursday to allow fully vaccinated people — meaning those who received their final COVID-19 vaccine dose at least two weeks earlier — to remove their masks outdoors in small gatherings, following new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
“The CDC’s recommendations underscore what we have said all along — vaccinations are the way we will put this pandemic behind us and get back to normal life,” Northam said in a statement. “Our increasing vaccination rate and decreasing number of new COVID-19 cases has made it possible to ease mitigation measures in a thoughtful and measured manner. I encourage all Virginians who have not yet received the vaccine to make an appointment today.”
Northam’s mask mandate — first affecting all Virginians ages 10 and older, and then lowered to age 5 — was put in place in late May 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19, following the CDC’s recommendation.