The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released official guidelines for those who received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
What do the guidelines say?
The guidelines pave the way for fully vaccinated people to spend time with those who aren’t vaccinated as well as those who are vaccinated, according to the CDC.
People who are fully vaccinated can safely gather with small groups from other households without wearing a mask or physical distancing, NBC News reports. This also means those who are fully vaccinated can hang out together without masks.
Fully vaccinated people can hang out with people who have not had their shots, either, according to NBC News.
- “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 CDC wrote.
However, the CDC said people should still wear masks in public places and continue to embrace physical distancing.
Context
More than 30 million people in the United States — just about 8% of the population — have received either two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or those who got one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, per The New York Times.
- But fully vaccinated Americans were unsure about who they can hang out with, or whether they can visit their family for dinner before Monday’s announcement.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, said “these are complex issues, and the science is rapidly evolving,” which influenced the delay in releasing new guidelines, according to The New York Times.
- “Our goal, and what is most important, is that people who have been vaccinated and those not yet vaccinated are able to understand the steps they can take to protect themselves and their loved ones,” she added. “We are making sure and taking the time to get this right.”
Flashback
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention promised to release guidelines for Americans who received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the near future, as I wrote for the Deseret News. The new guidelines are expected to outline what people can and can’t do after they get the vaccine, Politico reports.
- The guidance will reportedly say that fully vaccinated individuals can gather in small groups with other vaccinated people.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert, said in late February that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will begin issuing guidelines in the near future, according to Fox News.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 don’t need to quarantine if they’ve been exposed to the virus, as I wrote about for the Deseret News.
- However, vaccinated folks should still wear masks, social distance and avoid crowds, per NBC News.