For vaccinated Americans, masks are not mandatory, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday, before celebrating the moment by taking his first short walk at the White House without the face covering.

Highlighting the “stunning progress” in vaccination drive, Biden in televised remarks from the leafy North Lawn said that stringent mask recommendations can now be relaxed, but added a rider. Masks should be on in a crowd.

For those, who still haven’t taken the vaccine, Biden said that “this is another great reason to go get vaccinated. Now. Now.” 

Biden’s address came shortly after the Centers for Disease Control, the top government health agency, notified fully vaccinated Americans that they can go mask-free most of the time outdoors.

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“If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing many things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic,” the CDC said in a statement, adding a few checks.

Masks are must even for vaccinated people if they are at concerts, parades or large sporting events, even when outdoors, the CDC said.

Indoor activities, which include movie theatres, indoor shopping centers (even if uncrowded), museums, also remain under a masks recommendation. 

More than half of all US adults have now received at least one of two vaccine doses. The surging rate of people seeking out vaccines has begun to taper, but new COVID-19 cases are also falling.

Biden, in an effort to further promote the vaccine drive, stressed said: “Beginning today, gathering with a group of friends in a park, going for a picnic — as long as you are vaccinated and outdoors, you can do it without a mask.” 

The US President walked in with a black mask on his face to address the people but he walked out without wearing one. And the intention was to send across the message that vaccination gives you a certain degree of freedom after almost one and half years of life with a mask on. 

The CDC, however, has stressed that the newly relaxed rules only apply to people who have had their full vaccine doses and are two weeks past the final shot.