The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued guidelines for fully vaccinated people, outlining what they can safely do – including in-house visits, without a mask, with other vaccinated people. CDC director Rochelle Walensky announced the highly anticipated guidance during a meeting of the White House COVID-19 on Monday.
Fully vaccinated people, according to the CDC, can do the following:
- Visits with other people totally vaccinated inside the house, without masks or physical distance;
- Visits with unvaccinated people from a single residence who are at low risk of serious COVID-19 disease indoors, without the use of masks or physical distance; and
- Ignore the quarantine and test guidelines after known exposure, if they are asymptomatic.
The CDC further says that those who are vaccinated should wear facial coverage in public, and it also discourages non-essential travel. It also says that, for the time being, vaccinated people should continue to avoid medium and large sized crowds, and should use preventive measures such as masks and distance when they are close to several unvaccinated families. The CDC also also recommends testing if you have symptoms of COVID-19.
“Science and the protection of public health should guide us as we begin to resume these activities,” said Wolensky. “Today’s action represents an important first step. It is not our final destination. As more people are vaccinated, levels of COVID-19 infection decrease in communities and our understanding of COVID immunity improves, we hope to update these recommendations to the public. ”
People are “fully vaccinated,” according to the CDC, if two weeks have passed since they received a second injection from Pfizer or Moderna or the only injection from Johnson & Johnson. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, while the Johnson & Johnson the vaccine is administered at once. This vaccine received an Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration on February 27, and doses were being distributed and administered as of last week.
The guidance comes at a time when the country is at a crossroads in the fight against the virus. Last month, the average number of daily cases across the country fell by more than 50%, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, but progress has stalled.
States across the country, including New York, Massachusetts and Arkansas, have eased COVID-related restrictions on companies, raising fears that the United States may be letting its guard down too soon. Last week, Texas became the third state to terminate its state mask mandate in recent days, joining Montana and Iowa.