Offering relief to a pandemic-weary nation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that vaccinated people can gather together without masks or distancing.
“We know that people want to get vaccinated so they can get back to doing the things they enjoy with the people they love,” said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
The new guidelines are a big step toward returning to normal life after a year of hardship and isolation. After a rocky start, the nation’s mass vaccination campaign has administered more than 90 million doses, reaching 17.7% of the total U.S. population. Nearly 3 million shots are being given every day.
But there are caveats in the experts’ recommendations, depending on where you are and who you’re with: When in public, always reach for the mask — not because you’re in danger, but to let others know that you’re being conscientious for their safety.
That’s because scientists haven’t yet ascertained that vaccines prevent transmission of the virus. Emerging evidence suggests that the risk is low. But until completion of further studies, it’s critical to protect those who are still awaiting vaccines.
Over time, as the majority of Americans are vaccinated, restrictions likely will further ease.
“Think of a vaccine as applying a veneer to protect the population from COVID-19,” said UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Monica Gandhi during the podcast “In the Bubble,” hosted by UCSF’s Dr. Bob Wachter. “Remove restrictions slowly, as you apply veneer, to give time to seal the protection.”
What can you do? Here are some answers to common questions, based on the CDC guidance and interviews with experts:
Q: Everyone is vaccinated. When visiting, can we take off our masks and stop distancing?
A: Yes. You can visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors.
Q: I’m vaccinated, but they’re not. Masks or no masks?
A: It depends. Who’s that other person? What matters here isn’t you, but the characteristics of your unvaccinated friends and family.
Masks aren’t needed if they’re from a single household and are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease. But masks are needed if they are at high risk for severe COVID-19 disease because they’re older, pregnant, smoke cigarettes or are obese. Or perhaps they’re diabetic, immunocompromised or have other medical problems, such as cancer or a disease of the heart, kidney or lungs.
Masks are also needed if the people you’re seeing are from several households. Why? Because the two unvaccinated households pose a risk to one another.
For example, imagine fully vaccinated grandparents who seek to hug their unvaccinated adult daughter and children. Masks off!
But if the adult daughter’s unvaccinated friends come over, precautions are needed. The visit should take place outdoors, with everyone wearing well-fitted masks and maintaining physical distance.
Q: I’m vaccinated and would like to join a gathering. But I don’t know everyone’s vaccination or health status. What do I do?
A: Small gatherings — think an intimate dinner party among friends — aren’t zero risk. But they’re low risk. It’s a common courtesy to ask before taking off your mask.
But avoid medium- and large-size gatherings, said the CDC. There is no way to know who has or hasn’t been vaccinated.
In general, the safest gathering is if everyone in the group is vaccinated. It’s moderately unsafe if the person who is at highest risk of severe illness — say, grandma — is vaccinated, and the other people aren’t. (Maybe keep grandma at one end of the table and the kids at the other.) There’s more risk if the healthier person is vaccinated and the more vulnerable adult is unvaccinated. Grandma could, in theory, get sick.
If possible, create ventilation, suggested Dr. Caitlin Rivers, an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, during Wachter’s podcast.
Q: Dining at restaurants: Indoors or out?
A: In an abundance of caution, Stanford infectious disease epidemiologist Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, who is vaccinated, is still eating outdoors. “In the next several months,” as more people are vaccinated, “I would pick indoors,” she added.
Out of consideration to the waiter and others, wear a mask when not eating. It’s not fair to put unvaccinated people at potential risk — including restaurant employees, who don’t have a lot of choice about whether to be there.
Q: Can I go to a movie theater?
A: Maldonado is a big fan of drive-ins, “unless something magical happens and we just see no cases in the fall.” She probably won’t go to an indoor theater for the rest of the year — and if she does, she’ll wear a mask.
Q: I live in a long-term care facility. What can I do?
A: “Resume in-person unmasked socializing” if everyone is vaccinated, said Gandhi.
Q: Can I safely travel on a plane to see a family member or friend?
A: Yes, according to Priya Sampathkumar, chair of Infection Control & Prevention at Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic. The risk to you will be extremely low. But wear a mask so you don’t contribute to the network of people who could theoretically spread the virus.
Q: Visit a dentist? Get a mani-pedi? Get a haircut?
A: Go. But wear a mask, said Dr. Farzad Mostashari, co-founder and CEO of Aledade, a company that brings groups of primary care doctors together to provide better care, during Wachter’s podcast.
Q: Can unvaccinated children play outside with other children, without masks?
A: It’s low risk, said Rivers. But she added: “I would require them to wear masks, in part because I think it’s important for children to learn to wear masks. They’re going to have to do it when they go back to school most likely, so might as well get in the habit.”
Q: I’m fully vaccinated but was exposed to someone who is infected. Do I still need to quarantine and get tested?
A: No. You can skip quarantining and testing following a known exposure, according to the CDC.
