Madison Clarke
In May 2021, President Joe Biden announced that fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks outdoors or in most indoor settings. Biden himself continued to wear a mask outdoors, calling it a patriotic responsibility. The announcement came as the CDC faced pressure to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated people and highlight the benefits of getting vaccinated. Biden urged Americans to get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 13 May 2021 |
| Location | Rose Garden, White House |
| Attendees | Vaccinated Republican lawmakers |
| Message | "Get vaccinated — or wear a mask until you do" |
| Message to the unvaccinated | "We’ve gotten this far — please protect yourself until you get to the finish line" |
| Message to the vaccinated | "If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask" |
| Message to critics | "It’s a patriotic responsibility, for God’s sake" |
| Message to the American people | "We're not going to go out and arrest people. [...] I believe the American people want to take care of their neighbors." |
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What You'll Learn
Biden's message to 'get vaccinated or wear a mask'
On May 13, 2021, President Joe Biden announced that fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks outdoors, except in crowded settings. Biden's message to the American people was clear: "Get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do." The president urged Americans to get vaccinated, calling it a patriotic responsibility to wear a mask. He also encouraged Americans to be respectful of those who continued to wear masks, even if they were vaccinated.
During his Rose Garden address, Biden and his staff went without masks. Hours earlier, in the Oval Office, Biden had met with vaccinated Republican lawmakers and led the group in removing their masks when the new guidance was announced. The CDC and the Biden administration had faced pressure to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated people to highlight the benefits of getting vaccinated. The country's aggressive vaccination campaign had led to a decrease in virus cases, deaths, and the test positivity rate.
Biden's message was a simple rule: "If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask." However, the guidance still called for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons, and homeless shelters. It also encouraged Americans to continue taking precautions in certain outdoor settings, such as crowded rallies or events. The president wanted to assure Americans that it was safe to remove their masks in most settings if they were fully vaccinated.
Biden's message of "get vaccinated or wear a mask" was a call to action for Americans to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. The president believed that getting vaccinated was the key to ending the pandemic and returning to pre-pandemic life. He encouraged Americans to take advantage of the easily accessible vaccines and to follow the science and guidance of health experts. Biden's message also emphasized personal responsibility and respect for others, regardless of one's vaccination status.
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The CDC's updated mask guidance
On May 13, 2021, the CDC eased indoor mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. President Joe Biden heralded the new guidance during an address in the Rose Garden, where he and his staff went without masks. He summarised the updated guidance, saying:
> If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask... Get vaccinated — or wear a mask until you do.
The CDC and the Biden administration faced pressure to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated people, in part to highlight the benefits of getting vaccinated. Biden also noted that the government was not going to enforce the mask-wearing guidance on those not yet fully vaccinated. The updated guidance still called for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons, and homeless shelters.
On February 15, 2022, and March 1, 2022, the CDC and Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced further updates to mask-wearing guidance. From March 1, 2022, masks were no longer required on school buses and vans for kindergarten through grade 12 students, as well as childcare programs and outdoor public transportation areas. The February 15 update advised that fully vaccinated individuals with weakened immune systems or at increased risk of severe disease due to age or underlying conditions should wear masks indoors.
By September 19, 2024, the CDC released further updated guidelines, stating that most Americans could go mask-free. This shift in mask guidance reflected the state of the disease in terms of hospital capacity and severity rather than community spread. The White House COVID-19 response coordinator, Jeff Zients, emphasised that the new guidelines aimed to protect people and enable a safe return to normalcy.
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Biden's encouragement for Americans to get vaccinated
On May 13, 2021, President Joe Biden encouraged Americans to get vaccinated during a Rose Garden address where he and his staff went without masks. During the address, Biden said:
> Today is a great day for America. If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask. Get vaccinated — or wear a mask until you do.
The new guidance from the CDC stated that fully vaccinated people could participate in indoor and outdoor activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing. Biden also noted that the government was not going to enforce the mask-wearing guidance on those not yet fully vaccinated. He encouraged Americans to take care of their neighbors and protect themselves until they get to the finish line.
The Biden administration's vaccination campaign had been successful, with U.S. virus cases, deaths, and test positivity rates at their lowest points since the pandemic began. The easing of mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people was a move to send the country back towards pre-pandemic life and encourage more Americans to get vaccinated.
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The Biden administration's stance on enforcing mask-wearing
On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden signed Executive Order 13991, which mandated compliance with CDC guidelines regarding mask-wearing and social distancing on federal lands and properties. The next day, he signed another executive order requiring the use of masks on all forms of public transportation, including planes, trains, buses, ships, and airports. These actions were among his first as president and were in stark contrast to his predecessor, Donald Trump, who resisted wearing masks in public and did not enforce their use during his campaign events.
Biden's administration has faced pressure to relax restrictions on fully vaccinated people, and on May 13, 2021, the CDC eased indoor mask-wearing guidelines for this group. Biden celebrated this new guidance, stating, "If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask," and "Get vaccinated—or wear a mask until you do." However, he also clarified that the government would not enforce mask-wearing for those who were not yet vaccinated, saying, "We're not going to go out and arrest people."
While the new guidance allows fully vaccinated individuals to go without masks in most settings, it still recommends wearing masks in crowded indoor spaces like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons, and homeless shelters. This recommendation is in place to protect unvaccinated individuals and prevent the spread of the virus where community transmission exists. Biden's stance on mask-wearing has been to encourage their use and promote vaccination, rather than strict enforcement through arrests or fines.
The Biden administration's approach to enforcing mask-wearing has been a combination of executive orders and public health recommendations. While Biden has used his executive power to mandate masks on federal property and public transportation, he has also acknowledged the limits of his authority in imposing a sweeping national mask mandate. The administration's focus has been on encouraging vaccination and allowing fully vaccinated individuals to resume pre-pandemic activities without masks.
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Biden's mask-wearing as a patriotic responsibility
In May 2021, President Joe Biden announced that fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear a mask outdoors, except in crowded settings. However, Biden himself continued to wear a mask in some situations, such as when walking up to make his announcement, leading to criticism from conservatives. Biden has referred to mask-wearing as a "patriotic responsibility", and has encouraged Americans to get vaccinated, saying, "Get vaccinated, or wear a mask until you do".
Biden's message has been interpreted as a symbolic gesture, demonstrating that it is safe to remove masks once fully vaccinated. This was particularly significant as Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, had refused to wear a mask in public and downplayed the necessity of doing so. Biden's commitment to wearing a mask himself and encouraging others to do the same has been seen as an important step in the fight against COVID-19.
However, Biden's message and actions regarding mask-wearing have also been criticised. Some have argued that his encouragement of mask-wearing among vaccinated individuals sends a signal that the vaccines are not effective. There has also been confusion over the changing guidance, with the Biden administration facing pressure to ease restrictions for fully vaccinated people.
Despite these criticisms, Biden has stood by his message of personal responsibility when it comes to mask-wearing and vaccination. In a Rose Garden address, Biden celebrated the progress made in the fight against COVID-19, saying, "Today is a great day for America". He urged Americans to continue taking precautions, such as mask-wearing and social distancing, until they could get vaccinated.
Overall, Biden's promotion of mask-wearing as a patriotic responsibility reflects his administration's efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic and encourage vaccination. While his message has been subject to varying interpretations and political debate, it ultimately emphasises the importance of individual actions in protecting public health.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Biden said, "Get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do."
Biden made this statement in May 2021 when the CDC eased indoor mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people.
The new guidance stated that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks outdoors or in most indoor settings. However, masks are still required in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons, and homeless shelters.
Biden indicated that he would still probably wear a mask outdoors, calling it a patriotic responsibility. He wanted to send a symbolic message by wearing a mask outdoors, taking it off during his speech, and not putting it back on until he went back inside.
