CDC: Vaccinated People Can Gather Indoors, In Small Groups, Without Masks
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The CDC on Monday issued its first set of guidelines on how fully vaccinated people can interact with other people.
About 30 million Americans, or 9%, of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, prompting the guidance that the CDC says is a first step toward returning to everyday activities in the community.
"We know that people want to get vaccinated so they can get back to doing the things they enjoy with the people they love," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, said in a statement. "There are some activities that fully vaccinated people can begin to resume now in their homes."
People have received both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine – or the one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – are considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their last dose.
People who are fully vaccinated may now gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing. Vaccinated people can also gather with those who have not yet been vaccinated, but are considered low-risk for disease – meaning grandparents who have received their vaccinations can now visit their healthy children and grandchildren.
Additionally, the CDC says vaccinated people do not need to quarantine or get tested after being exposed to someone with COVID-19.
According to the CDC, more evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people are less likely to have asymptomatic infection and are potentially less likely to transmit SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to other people. However, the CDC is still asking those who are vaccinated to continue to wear masks and practice social distancing while in public, and avoid medium to large in-person gatherings.
