Coronavirus: US CDC says vaccinated people can meet without face masks
- US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention issued its long-awaited guidance for what fully vaccinated people can safely do
- US daily virus death toll below 1,000 for first time in months as Biden administration ramps up vaccinations
The US health protection agency on Monday released guidance for the first time on activities deemed safe for people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, giving the OK to indoor meetings in small groups without the need to wear masks.
The recommendations by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, however, still call for people, regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not, to wear a mask in public spaces and avoid non-essential travel as well as medium and large-sized gatherings.
The announcement comes as the administration of US President Joe Biden is ramping up vaccination efforts, with more than 2 million shots administered each day. The United States is the country worst affected by the pandemic in terms of the number of cases and deaths.
“We believe these new recommendations are an important first step in our efforts to resume everyday activities in our communities,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told a press conference.
People are considered fully vaccinated for Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, two weeks after they have received the second shot in a two-dose series, or two weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine, according to the CDC.
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Under the guidelines, indoor gatherings between fully vaccinated people are likely “low risk” and participants do not need to wear masks or physically distance from one another, the CDC said.
As for meetings between fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people, the agency said the level of precaution measures that should be taken depend on whether the unvaccinated individuals are at increased risk of contracting severe Covid-19, such as being of advanced age or having an underlying condition like cancer or diabetes.
