UPDATE: CDC removes holiday guidance page, says update coming soon

CDC Says Fully Vaccinated People Don’t Need Masks , in Most Indoor and Outdoor Settings.CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky issued the updated public guidance May 13.Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC director, via CNBC.Fully vaccinated people must continue to wear masks in health care environments, in businesses that require masks...... and while traveling via public transportation, including air travel.If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment, when we can get back to some sense of normalcy, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC director, via CNBC.Dr. Anthony Fauci made similar remarks.Pulling back restrictions on indoor masks is an important step in the right direction, Dr. Anthony Fauci, senior White House adviser, via The New York Times.You can’t inhibit people from doing the things they want to do, which is one of the reasons they wanted to get vaccinated in the first place, because other people are not getting vaccinated, Dr. Anthony Fauci, senior White House adviser, via The New York Times.Dr. Walensky stated that mask guidance remains fluid in keeping with the conditions of the pandemic

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed a page Monday night with COVID-19 guidance for the 2021 holidays, saying old information was posted in error and updated guidance would be provided soon.

The page, which said it was updated Friday, said virtual or outdoor gatherings are the safest options for families, but that guidance was for 2020, the CDC said Monday night.

“The content is in the process of being updated by CDC to reflect current guidance ahead of this holiday season,” CDC spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said in a statement. “The page had a technical update on Friday, but doesn’t reflect the CDC’s guidance ahead of this upcoming holiday season. CDC will share additional guidance soon.”

The CDC error added to confusion around guidance for the 2021 holidays. The contagious delta variant recently has been subsiding somewhat, according to reports.

On Sunday, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said on CBS that it is “too soon to tell” whether it is safe to gather for Christmas. Fauci’s comment drew criticism from some Republicans.

On Monday on CNN, Fauci said his comments were “misinterpreted.”

“The best way to assure that we’ll be in good shape as we get into the winter would be to get more and more people vaccinated,” he told CNN. “That was misinterpreted as my saying we can’t spend Christmas with our families, which was absolutely not the case. I will be spending Christmas with my family, I encourage people, particularly the vaccinated people who are protected, to have a good, normal Christmas with your family.”

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story was based on the guidance incorrectly posted by the CDC.