New US guidance says fully vaccinated people can meet without masks
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that fully vaccinated Americans can return to some sense of normalcy. Those who have received the required jabs can visit with other vaccinated people and some unvaccinated people, according to the new guidelines. People are considered protected two weeks after they take the final dose of their vaccine, the CDC said. Over 30 million Americans have been fully vaccinated thus far. Health officials announced the new safety guidelines at Monday’s White House coronavirus task force briefing. The recommendations say fully vaccinated Americans can:
- Meet indoors with other fully vaccinated people without masks or social distancing
- Meet indoors with unvaccinated people from a single household, if they are at low risk for severe illness from the virus
- Skip testing or quarantine when exposed to Covid-19, unless symptoms appear. “We’ve begun to describe what a world looks like as we move beyond Covid-19,” senior adviser Andy Slavitt told reporters. “As more and more people get vaccinated… the list of activities will continue to grow.” Those who are vaccinated are still required to follow other basic safety measures, like wearing masks and socially distancing in public as well as avoiding large crowds and travel. The guidelines also call for masking and distancing from those who are unvaccinated and who may be at an elevated risk of serious Covid-related complications.(BBC)…[+]