When Can I Ask Someone If They Are Vaccinated (and How)
While COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations are declining across the country, some gray area and potential danger remains: fifty percent of the US adult population has been fully vaccinated , an outstanding achievement and a sign of impending normalization, but a high proportion of adults still hesitant or strongly opposed to vaccination . The continued likelihood of infection remains high for those who did not receive the shots.
Be that as it may, there are quite a few gray areas as to when to wear masks, be it CDC guidelines or those set by independent companies. I, for example, continue to disguise myself in any wine cellar or gas station I go into, although technically not required according to CDC and my local wine cellar regulations. For me, this means that others feel safe, mainly because no one knows if I am immunized (except for a hypothetical vaccine passport issued by the government).
As the pandemic continues to wane, you may run into the unmasked person who is curious if they’ve vaccinated them or if they just care less about safety than you. Here’s how you might find it appropriate to ask about someone’s vaccination status, and when it’s definitely not worth going so deep into someone else’s territory.
How to ask someone if they are vaccinated
If this is your home, then by all means
If someone is visiting you for the first time since COVID knocked the world off its axis, then you should feel comfortable asking about their vaccination status. After all, this is your personal space, and if you are doing something indoors without a mask, it only makes sense to learn about it.
If you are caring for someone with a weakened immune system
If you’re looking for someone who is technically still at risk despite being vaccinated, you can be absolutely certain about another person’s vaccination status. For example, if you are entertaining guests at a bowling alley and your grandmother is there, you can find out if the guests have been immunized. Likewise if you have unvaccinated children.
Keep up with your own vaccination status
Whether people have been vaccinated is a question that worries many, not only you. A good way to get a clear answer from someone is to first note that you are fully vaccinated or between doses. Sharing your status first will show that you understand that you have to defend yourself, and it is also less confrontational than blurting out, “Are you vaccinated?” someone with whom you are not really that close.
Let’s say you’re going outdoors and want to understand what people think of an indoor meeting. If you tell the group that you are fully vaccinated, it is likely that other people will follow your example.
It is definitely not good to ask why someone is still wearing a mask.
While we are slowly emerging from the pandemic and masks are mostly optional for fully vaccinated people, try to understand why some people continue to wear them. First, immunocompromised people may continue to wear masks for the foreseeable future, largely because herd immunity is unlikely to be achieved in the United States, and highly infectious variants continue to cause most infections.
Based on this, there are many variables that cannot be deciphered without knowing someone’s situation. Some may still insist on disguise because they have unvaccinated children at home. They might have a psychological aversion to taking off the mask; some people love the anonymity that face masks give them , many of whom are women who enjoy not being told to smile more often.
We have moved from disguise as a means of protecting others to disguise as a means of protecting ourselves, and there is nothing wrong with that. This is simply an indicator that some people will continue to wear masks despite being vaccinated due to personal circumstances or preference.