CDC says vaccinated and 'low risk' individuals can now safely gather

The first shoe has fallen in the nation’s journey toward normalcy following the coronavirus pandemic.

Last Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released highly anticipated guidance on practices considered safe for those who are fully vaccinated against the COVID-19, relating to gatherings, quarantine and testing. Most notably, the CDC said that those who are fully vaccinated can spend time with unvaccinated people indoors, with no mask, so long as those who are unvaccinated are at low risk for severe COVID-19.

“As vaccinations increase, this guidance represents a first step toward returning to everyday activities in our communities, and CDC will update these recommendations as more people are vaccinated, rates of COVID-19 in the community change and as additional science and evidence become available,” the CDC said in a press release regarding the guidance.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, said that two weeks after the second dose, or the single dose for those receiving a vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson, fully vaccinated persons can safely gather inside with other fully vaccinated people without wearing face masks or physical distancing, the CDC said, calling these indoor gatherings “likely low risk.”

As the size of gatherings increase and involves additional households, the risk also increases. In gatherings with fully vaccinated people and unvaccinated people from multiple households, everyone should wear a mask and practice distancing, per the guidance. 

Further, regardless of vaccination status, everyone should avoid medium-to-large-sized gatherings indoors and follow local guidance on related restrictions. If fully vaccinated people decide to partake, they should wear masks, practice distancing and wash hands often.  The CDC also said that going to the gym and dining inside poses a smaller infection risk for fully vaccinated people.