CDC: Vaccinated People Don't Need Masks When Gathered Together

No need for a mask if you've been vaccinated. That comes straight from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, which has relaxed COVID-19 restrictions for inoculated individuals.

Per the CDC, it is safe to gather without masks or social distancing in smaller groups, while continuing to take "precaution" in most circumstances.

That makes sense. Given that we're still in the early stages of vaccination, it's not known whether it will completely eradicate the virus or if people can still get infected and transmit it to others.

"But early research suggests that in addition to protecting against severe cases of COVID-19 that could lead to hospitalization or death, authorized vaccines likely also make people less vulnerable to infection and potentially less likely to spread the virus, the CDC said," The Wall Street Journal reported.

Texas, Mississippi, Iowa, North Dakota and Montana have already dropped mask mandates, and more states are sure to soon follow suit. Eleven states never required face coverings statewide — Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Tennessee.

With the vaccine beginning to become more readily available, we may be able to see our wide smiles about it all across the country very soon.