Fully vaccinated Virginians can stop wearing masks “in most situations,” Northam says

Fully vaccinated Virginians can stop wearing masks indoors “in most situations,” Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday, one day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased federal guidelines.

The state also plans to lift all coronavirus restrictions by May 28 — moving its anticipated reopening date up by two weeks.

Anyone not vaccinated is “strongly encouraged” to cover their face in public. State officials say workers in restaurants, stores and gyms have to wear a mask unless they’re fully vaccinated, and people still have to wear masks if they’re on public transit, in health care facilities and in crowded indoor settings.

Businesses can still require masks, and they will still be required in schools. The new mask rules take effect at midnight.

Northam’s office said public health experts decided to loosen restrictions because of low infection and high vaccination rates.

“We have plenty of shots available. It will protect you better than anything else,” Northam said in a video announcing the changes. “It’s very simple: It’s either a shot or a mask. It’s up to you.”

Virginia is reporting a positivity rate of 3.5 percent — lower than at any time since the start of the pandemic. The seven-day average of new cases is 555, the lowest in more than 10 months, and the commonwealth is recording its lowest number of COVID-19 hospitalizations at 684.

The state, meanwhile, has administered nearly 7 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. More than 4 million people have received at least one dose, representing more than 63 percent of Virginia’s adult population. Northam has said the state is on pace to meet President Joe Biden’s goal of 70 percent of adults vaccinated with at least one dose by July 4.

The governor’s spokesperson, Alena Yarmosky, said Friday that for restaurants and bars, patrons are no longer required to wear masks, but bartenders and servers who are not vaccinated are.

“Anyone who is not yet vaccinated is strongly encouraged to wear masks in these settings as (recommended) by the CDC,” she wrote in an email. “Employees who work in certain business sectors — including restaurants, retail, fitness, personal care, and entertainment — are required to wear masks unless fully vaccinated.”

Employee mask-wearing violations would be enforced through state regulatory agencies. Social distancing and capacity rules at public businesses also will continue to be enforced until May 28.

The CDC announcement came as the Biden administration faced pressure to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated people — those who are two weeks past their last required dose — in part to highlight the benefits of getting the shot.

The new guidance comes as the aggressive U.S. vaccination campaign begins to pay off. U.S. virus cases are at their lowest rate since September, deaths are at their lowest point since last April and the test positivity rate is at the lowest point since the pandemic began.

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To date, about 154 million Americans, more than 46% of the population, have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines and more than 117 million are fully inoculated. The rate of new vaccinations has slowed in recent weeks, but with the authorization Wednesday of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 12 to 15, a new burst of doses is expected in the coming days.

The Biden administration has said people who are not fully vaccinated should continue to wear masks indoors, but that the government will not enforce its guidance on those without a shot.

The new guidance is likely to open the door to confusion, since there is no surefire way for businesses or others to distinguish between those who are fully vaccinated and those who are not.

“Millions of Americans are doing the right thing and getting vaccinated, but essential workers are still forced to play mask police for shoppers who are unvaccinated and refuse to follow local COVID safety measures,” said Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. “Are they now supposed to become the vaccination police?”

Biden has said he believes the American people want to take care of their neighbors.

“We’re not going to go out and arrest people,” the president said Thursday during a Rose Garden address heralding the new guidance, an event where he and his staff went without masks. “If you haven’t been vaccinated, wear your mask for your own protection and the protection of the people who also have not been vaccinated yet.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.