Nigeria, April 27 -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that Americans who are fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus no longer need to wear masks outdoors, except for large gatherings.

The risk of the virus spreading outdoors is so low that even unvaccinated individuals do not need to wear a mask if they hike, jog or are with a household member, according to the CDC guidelines issued on Tuesday.

From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC had been advising Americans to wear masks outdoors if they are within 6 feet of one another.

"Today, I hope, is a day when we can take another step back to the normalcy of before," CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said.

According to the new guidelines, sm...