The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear masks or social distance.

“If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.

Key Points from the CDC Update:

Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.
Indoor and outdoor activities pose minimal risk to fully vaccinated people.
Fully vaccinated people have a reduced risk of transmitting COVID-19 to unvaccinated people.
Fully vaccinated people 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.
Refrain from testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with some exceptions for specific settings.
Refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic.
Refrain from routine screening testing if feasible.

Fully Vaccinated People Should Continue to:

Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations. This includes travel by public transportation such as bus, plane, train, or ferry.
Wear a mask/face covering and social distance in health care settings such as hospitals, doctor and dentist offices, long-term care facilities, and nursing homes.
At prisons and jails
At homeless shelters
VRFA Deputy Fire Marshal Michael Homan administers the COVID-19 vaccine at the Auburn vaccine site. | courtesy VRFA

“Right now for travel, we’re asking people to wear their masks,” Walensky said. “We still have the requirement to wear masks when you travel on buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation.”

Have You Been Fully Vaccinated?

According to CDC data, 46% of people in the U.S. have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 35% have received both doses. In general, people are considered fully vaccinated:

2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

If you don’t meet these requirements, regardless of your age, you are NOT fully vaccinated. Keep taking all precautions until you are fully vaccinated.

Note: If you have a condition or are taking medications that weaken your immune system, you may NOT be fully protected even if you are fully vaccinated. Talk to your healthcare provider. Even after vaccination, you may need to continue taking all precautions.

At this time anyone age 12 and older is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine if they want to. Vaccinations are available without an appointment in Auburn and in Kent at the Public Health – Seattle & King County vaccination sites.

We’re sorry introverts, we know this is hard for you. It’ll be okay we promise. Extroverts, go easy on the introverts – it’s going to take a bit longer for them to adjust.

Sources:

To write this article the Auburn Examiner reviewed the CDC website, the White House press briefing with CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, and NBC News.