Individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can safely gather with small groups from other households without masks or physical distancing, even if those people haven't been vaccinated, according to CDC guidance updated March 8.
Four things to know:
1. "This guidance represents a first step toward returning to everyday activities," the CDC said in a media statement cited by NBC News.
2. "Fully vaccinated grandparents can visit indoors with their unvaccinated healthy daughter and her healthy children without wearing masks or physical distancing, provided none of the unvaccinated family members are at risk of severe COVID-19," the CDC wrote, according to NBC News.
3. The new guidelines don't say fully vaccinated people can return to life as it was before the pandemic. The agency didn't rule out the possibility that fully vaccinated individuals may develop asymptomatic infections and inadvertently spread the virus, instead advising vaccinated individuals to maintain mitigation measures in public or around high-risk individuals. Vaccinated individuals should continue proper hand-washing, avoid crowded areas and seek out testing if symptoms develop, according to the agency.
4. A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the final dose, with 9.2 percent of the population receiving both doses as of March 7, reports the CDC.
More articles on public health:
Daily cases fall to lowest level since Oct. 6; Senate passes $1.9 trillion relief bill — 3 COVID-19 updates
COVID-19 hospitalizations by state: March 8
States ranked by percentage of COVID-19 vaccines administered