CDC issues updated guidance for fully vaccinated people

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidance on Tuesday for individuals fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to an announcement made by the agency.

The guidelines state that fully vaccinated people can now visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing, visit with unvaccinated people including children from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing, and participate in outdoor activities and recreation without a mask, except in certain crowded settings and venues.

Those who are fully vaccinated can resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel, refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel unless required by the destination, and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States.

Additionally, fully vaccinated people can refrain from testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with some exceptions for specific settings, refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic, and refrain from routine screening testing if asymptomatic and feasible, the agency said.

The CDC said individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after they have received the second dose of either the Pfizer and BioNTech or Moderna vaccines and two weeks after the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Fully vaccinated people should continue to take precautions in indoor public settings, including wearing masks, should avoid large in-person gatherings, and get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, the agency said.

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