What You Can Do After Your Vaccination According to the CDC
The CDC has updated its guidelines for people who are fully vaccinated. The CDC announced today that vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask, even indoors, unless special regulations require it. For example, a business may require that you wear a mask and you still need to disguise on public transport and in some other scenarios, but the list of things to do safely after a full vaccination is now completely green. …
As before, you are considered “fully vaccinated” two weeks after the last vaccine (the second Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the only J&J vaccine).
Vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks or distance themselves from society.
The CDC summarizes the latest updates as follows:
- Update that fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance themselves in any setting, except as required by federal, state, local, tribal or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business guidelines and workplace instructions.
- Update information that fully vaccinated people may refrain from testing after known exposure unless they are residents or employees of a correctional facility, detention facility, or homeless shelter.
The new infographic is a green light for people vaccinated without masks in a variety of settings that are considered “less safe” or “least safe” for people who are not yet fully vaccinated. In the past, vaccinated people were still encouraged to wear a mask and consider some of these scenarios as less safe.
For example, the CDC believes vaccinated people can now safely attend a crowded outdoor event, full-fledged church service, or high-intensity indoor exercise classes.
Vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks when visiting others
The CDC previously stated that if you are vaccinated, you can spend time indoors with unvaccinated low-risk people from the same family or with any vaccinated people you like. This guide is now no longer valid.
CDC guidelines are that the risk to the vaccinated person is “minimal” and that the vaccinated person poses a “reduced risk” to the unvaccinated person.
While it is possible for a vaccinated person to spread COVID to others, it is very unlikely. Likewise, vaccines seem to protect well enough against common known variants, but it is possible that a new variant will emerge that eludes the protection we have from vaccines.
You don’t need to be quarantined or tested in most cases
If you’re around someone who tested positive for COVID but were fully vaccinated at the time, the CDC says you don’t need to get tested or quarantined if you’re still doing well.
If you do develop symptoms, you should consider the possibility that you may have COVID and you should follow the usual guidelines from there, including getting tested. The exception to this rule is if you live in a group such as a nursing home or correctional institution; in this case, the CDC recommends staying away from others for 14 days and getting tested.
What other rules apply?
Unvaccinated people, including children, should continue to disguise as before and stay away from others.
Companies may still require you to wear a mask, and federal law requiring the use of masks on public transportation (including air travel) continues to apply. If masks are required in your state or area, these laws still apply.
The new CDC guidelines only apply to non-medical settings, so you should still plan to wear a mask in places like hospitals, doctor’s offices, and nursing homes.
Everything can change
The guidelines do not state how long your vaccine protection should last because we don’t know yet. The CDC also points out that we are still studying how well vaccines protect against variants and how well they prevent the spread of the virus among vaccinated people. As we learn more about these three things, the guidelines may well be updated to reflect new knowledge.
The CDC director hinted that new guidelines for summer camps and travel are coming soon.
Does this new leadership really make us safer?
There is a lot to argue about here. One possibility is that unvaccinated people will claim to be vaccinated to be able to move around without a mask. On the other hand, if masks are no longer required in so many settings, the debate over who wears the mask and who will anti-mask may subside a little.
If unvaccinated people begin to remove their masks, the vaccinated are not at great risk. But those who cannot be vaccinated, such as children, and people at higher risk, such as people with certain medical conditions, may be at greater risk. The CDC appears to be relying on declining cases and rising vaccination rates to justify changing its recommendations.
However, just because you can take off your mask doesn’t mean you should. Immunocompromised people may want to continue camouflaging even if they are fully vaccinated , and anyone still worried about the risks can do so.
This post was first published in March 2021 and was updated on May 13, 2021 when the CDC announced that vaccinated people can go without masks in most premises.