Speaking outside the White House after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued promising new guidance about wearing masks outdoors for fully vaccinated individuals, President Joe Biden had a simple message for the American people: Get vaccinated.

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden urged Americans to get vaccinated as soon as possible so Americans can "get back to closer to normal in our living" 

  • Biden's remarks came shortly after the CDC released new guidance which said that fully vaccinated Americans don’t have to wear masks when they dine outdoors, gather with other people outside, or exercise

  • The president announced that the U.S. has given 215 million COVID-19 vaccine shots since his inauguration on Jan. 20

  • Biden said that next week he will be “laying out the path ahead to continue our fight against Covid-19 to get us to July 4”

“If you’re vaccinated, you can do more things, more safely, both outdoors as well as indoors,” the president said. “So for those who haven’t gotten their vaccination yet, especially if you’re younger or think you don’t need it, this is another great reason to go get vaccinated. Now. Now.”

Newly released guidance from the CDC says that Americans who are fully vaccinated don’t have to wear masks when they dine outdoors, gather with other people outside, or exercise, a welcome sign as the number of Americans vaccinated continues to rise.

More than half of U.S. adults — or about 141 million people — have gotten at least one shot of the vaccine, according to data from the CDC. Nearly 30% of the country’s population is fully vaccinated.

Biden said that if the country wants to return to a sense of normalcy, more people need to get vaccinated.

“Yes, the vaccines are about saving your life, but also the lives of the people around you,” the president said. “They’re also about helping us get back to closer to normal in our living, more normal living.”

“Getting together with friends, going to the park for a picnic without needing to mask up. We’re back to that place now as long as you get vaccinated,” Biden implored. “So go get the shot. It’s never been easier.”

The president said that next week he will be “laying out the path ahead to continue our fight against Covid-19 to get us to July 4.”

“While we still have a long way to go in this fight, and a lot of work to do in May and June before we get to July 4, we’ve made stunning progress because of all of you, the American people,” Biden added.

The president touted some of the progress made, including the fact that the U.S. has given 215 million COVID-19 vaccine shots since his inauguration on Jan. 20, and the progress made in vaccinating seniors — going from less than 1% when he took office to 67% fully vaccinated, with 80% receiving at least one shot.

“Instead of losing thousands of seniors each day, we're saving thousands of lives,” Biden said. “And more and more as each day goes by.”

The president thanked "everyone who's gotten the vaccine for doing your patriotic duty and helping us get on the path to Independence Day” as he concluded his remarks.

Taking questions from the press after his remarks, one reporter asked why the new CDC guidance does not apply to everyone. Biden replied, “because the science indicates that the most certain way to make sure it doesn't spread is if both people have been vaccinated, the people you’re with, and you’re outside.”

Another reporter asked what kind of message it sends that Biden walked out of the White House wearing a mask. The president replied with a smile, “watching me take it off and not putting it back on until I get inside.”