Washington, May 17 (IANS): Rochelle Walensky, Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that mandates in the country for people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 have been left to individual companies and institutions.

"It may very well be that local businesses, local jurisdictions will work towards vaccine mandates... That is going to be locally driven and not federally driven," Xinhua news agency quoted the US CDC chief as saying to ABC News on Sunday.

During a separately interview on Fox News also on Sunday, Walensky said the decision to shed a face mask was based on "the honour system".

If you are not vaccinated, you are not safe. Please go get vaccinated or continue to wear your mask."

Walensky on May 13announced that people who are fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing.

Governors in many states have dropped mask mandates for vaccinated people specifically, while some others have lifted the mandates completely.