CDC says fully vaccinated people can gather without masks, distancing
In new guidance, the CDC said Monday that fully vaccinated people can gather indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing masks or staying 6 feet apart.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, introduced the first set of guidelines for people who are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
For the purposes of the guidance, the CDC said a person is considered fully vaccinated if they received their final dose of vaccine at least 2 weeks ago for any of the three approve vaccines — the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or the single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.
“It's important to note that this is initial guidance,” Walensky said during a press briefing. “The science of COVID-19 is complex, and our understanding of the virus continues to rapidly evolve. The recommendations issued today are just a first step. As more people get vaccinated and the science and evidence expand, and as the disease dynamics of this country change, we will continue to update this guidance.”
Walensky said that all individuals, whether they are vaccinated or not, should continue to practice proper mask use and social distancing when in public, as well as avoid medium to large sized gatherings.
Otherwise, fully vaccinated people can visit other fully vaccinated individuals indoors in small gatherings, without the use of masks or the need for social distancing, according to the new guidance. Additionally, people who are fully vaccinated can visit with “unvaccinated people from one other household indoors without wearing masks or staying 6 feet apart if everyone in the other household is at low risk for severe disease.”
“For example, fully vaccinated grandparents can visit indoors with their unvaccinated healthy daughter and her healthy children without wearing masks or physical distancing, provided none of the unvaccinated family members are at risk of severe COVID-19,” the guidance says.
When vaccinated people visit unvaccinated people at high risk for severe COVID-19, “all attendees should take precautions including wearing a well-fitted mask, staying at least 6 feet away from others, and visiting outdoors or in a well-ventilated space,” the CDC said.
The new guidance also says that fully vaccinated people do not have to quarantine or get tested after an exposure if they do not have symptoms of COVID-19.
Walensky said that although current data show the pandemic remains a “very serious situation,” she is hopeful.
Currently, almost 59 million Americans have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and almost 31 million people — or 9.2% of the population — are fully vaccinated, according to CDC tracking, putting the country “on a strong path to eventually end this pandemic,” Walensky said.