The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People on March 8, 2021. The following was reported by the Phelps-Maries County Health Department.

What does fully vaccinated mean?

People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, like Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. If it has been less than two weeks since your shot, or if you still need to get your second dose, you are not fully protected. Keep taking all prevention steps until you are fully vaccinated.

What’s Changed

If you’ve been fully vaccinated you can gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask. You can gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household (for example, visiting with relatives who all live together) without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with has an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.

However, if you live in a group setting (like a correctional or detention facility or group home) and are around someone who has COVID-19, you should still stay away from others for 14 days and get tested, even if you don’t have symptoms.

What Hasn’t Changed

For now, if you’ve been fully vaccinated you should still take steps to protect yourself and others in many situations, like wearing a mask, staying at least six feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces. Take these precautions whenever you are in a public place, gathering with unvaccinated people from more than one other household, visiting with an unvaccinated person who is at increased risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19 or who lives with a person at increased risk.

People should still avoid medium or large-sized gatherings. They should still delay domestic and international travel. If you do travel, you’ll still need to follow CDC requirements and recommendations.

Vaccinated people should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if they have been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.

Also people will still need to follow guidance at their workplace.