CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta says vaccinated people can generally go maskless outdoors, with some caveats
![Dr. Sanjay Gupta on masking outdoors](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/potfv3fYYtgFJoV9GVBaBY-415-80.png)
There's been some heated discussion about whether it's safe, for you and others, to do outdoor activities without wearing a mask. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is putting together new guidance for vaccinated Americans, CNN's Jake Tapper told chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Thursday evening, but "what does the science say about what the rules should be for people, like us, who are vaccinated?"
Gupta said the research shows that fewer than 10 percent of all infections happen outdoors, and the odds of transmitting COVID-19 indoors is 18.7 precent higher than outdoors. "So keep those in the back of your mind. As a general rule," he said, citing Virginia Tech viral transmission expert Linsey Marr, "if you've been vaccinated and you are not vulnerable, high-risk, you really don't probably need a mask outdoors. But there is some common sense that comes into play here, as well: If you're in a very crowded outdoor setting where you're going to be stationary for a long period of time, and there's high viral transmission in your community — that's something you can check — then that's going to be more of a risk."
As an example of how to weigh the risk and benefits, Gupta and Tapper discussed whether to see Dave Matthews perform outdoors this summer.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Whether a mask is needed outdoors depends on the circumstances, including local public health rules and whether you and the people you're with are vaccinated," Tara Parker-Pope writes in Thursday's New York Times. "Brief encounters with an unmasked person passing you on the sidewalk or a hiking trail are very low risk," but "if you stop to have an extended conversation with someone who isn't vaccinated, masks are recommended. Even outdoors, your risk of breathing someone else's air increases the longer and closer you stand to them."
Walking the dog, riding a bike, jogging, hiking, and picnicking with members of your household or vaccinated friends are all negligible-risk activities for vaccinated people. Marr follows a "two-out-of-three rule" for public spaces where she isn't sure who has been vaccinated, she told Parker-Pope. "If you're outdoors, you either need to be distanced or masked," she explained. "If you're not outdoors, you need to be distanced and masked."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Did Kamala Harris kill brat?
Talking Point Pop culture phenomenon co-opted by presidential candidate sparks claims brat is over
By Jamie Timson, The Week UK Published
-
Paris Olympics: will it be a success?
Today's Big Question Organisers hope the 'spectacle' of the 2024 Games will lift the cloud of negativity that has hung over the build-up
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 20 - 26 July
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cow
Speed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US bans final type of asbestos
Speed Read Exposure to asbestos causes about 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Seattle Children's Hospital sues Texas over 'sham' demand for transgender medical records
Speed Read Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subpoenaed records of any Texan who received gender-affirming care at the Washington hospital
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Afghanistan has a growing female suicide problem
Speed Read The Taliban has steadily whittled away women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan over the past 2 years, prompting a surge in depression and suicide
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US life expectancy rose in 2022 but not to pre-pandemic levels
Speed Read Life expectancy is slowly crawling back up
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Vallance diaries: Boris Johnson 'bamboozled' by Covid science
Speed Read Then PM struggled to get his head around key terms and stats, chief scientific advisor claims
By The Week UK Published
-
An increasing number of dog owners are 'vaccine hesitant' about rabies
Speed Read A new survey points to canine vaccine hesitancy
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published