This is NPR's Life Kit.

I'm Andy Tagle, one of the producers of the show.

And today, listeners, I went for a run without a mask on.

I repeat, I went for a run out in the world, mask-free.

And it was so weird.

The fully vaccinated lower half of my face immediately wanted to retreat.

And I had to resist the urge to shout at every passerby, don't judge me, I got the shot.

The CDC said it's safe now, I swear, I'll send you the link.

Even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have now given fully vaccinated

people the nod to go without masks in some settings, we've been living in this double

mask socially distant world for so long that it's hard to just flip a switch.

Because possibly the only thing stranger than pandemic life, friends, is the first step

you take away from it.

So how do we cope facing this new one foot in, one foot out reality?

The answer, it seems, one small step at a time.

So in this episode of Life Kit, we'll have answer your questions about what comes next.

With me is Science Desk correspondent Maria Godoy.

Hey Maria!

Hey Andy.

Okay Maria, so recently, the CDC came out with new guidance for fully vaccinated people.

And it's lots of good news when it comes to masks, right?

Can you walk us through some of that?

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