CDC updates mask guidelines for fully vaccinated people

April 28, 2021

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported updated guidelines for people who are full vaccinated for the COVID-19 vaccine, saying that they can gather indoors with unvaccinated people of any age from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks or staying six feet apart, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. 

If you are fully vaccinated you can start doing many things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. Fully vaccinated refers to a person who is:

  • ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2-dose series, or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine; there is currently no post-vaccination time limit on fully vaccinated status
  • This guidance applies to COVID-19 vaccines currently authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration. Considerations for applying this guidance to vaccines that are not FDA-authorized include whether the vaccine product has received emergency approval from the World Health Organization or authorization from a national regulatory agency.

Unvaccinated refers to a person who does not fit the definition of “fully vaccinated,” including people whose vaccination status is not known, for the purposes of this guidance.

When choosing safer activities, consider how COVID-19 is spreading in your community, the number of people participating in the activity, and the location of the activity. 

Outdoor visits and activities are safer than indoor activities, and fully vaccinated people can participate in some indoor events safely, without much risk. 

CDC has the guidelines

More COVID-19 coverage HERE.