The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published guidelines for fully vaccinated people, highlighting what they can do safely – including masked indoor visits with other vaccinated people. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky announced the highly anticipated guidance at a COVID-19 briefing at the White House on Monday.
Fully vaccinated individuals, according to the CDC, can do the following:
- Visit with other people completely vaccinated indoors, without masks or physical distances;
- Visits with unvaccinated individuals from a single household who are at low risk of severe COVID-19 disease indoors, without wearing masks or physical distances; and
- Skip the quarantine and test guidelines after a known exposure, if they are asymptomatic.
The CDC still says those who are vaccinated should wear a face covered in public and still discourages non-essential travel. It is also said that, for the time being, vaccinated people should continue to avoid medium and large gatherings and should use preventive measures, such as masks and spacing, when they are in several unvaccinated households. However, the CDC recommends testing for COVID-19 symptoms.
“Science and the protection of public health must guide us as we begin to resume these activities,” Wolensky said. “Today’s action is an important first step. It is not our final destination. As more people get vaccinated, COVID-19 infection levels fall in communities, and as we understand that COVID immunity improves, we look forward to updating these recommendations to the public. ”
People are “completely vaccinated,” according to the CDC, if two weeks have passed since they received the second Pfizer or Moderna shot or the only Johnson & Johnson shot. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, while Johnson & Johnson the vaccine is given in one shot. This vaccine received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on February 27, and the doses have been distributed and administered since last week.
Guidance comes as the nation is at a crossroads in the fight against the virus. Over the past month, national average daily cases have fallen by more than 50%, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, but this progress has been made.
States across the country, including New York, Massachusetts and Arkansas, have eased COVID restrictions on businesses, adding to fears that the US could drop its guard too soon. Last week, Texas became the third state to cancel its statewide mask mandate in recent days, joining Montana and Iowa.