NEWS: CDC Says Fully Vaccinated Groups Can Gather Indoors Without Masks

The United States has been contending with the COVID-19 pandemic for more than a year.

Vaccine rollout is currently taking place across the country and as widespread distribution gets closer, officials are looking at what a fully vaccinated country will look like. Now, there’s a major update to the guidelines for what fully vaccinated people can and cannot do.

The CDC has released Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People that note new guidelines for those who are vaccinated, two weeks after their final dose of vaccine.

According to these guidelines, fully vaccinated people can:

Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic

Importantly, the guidelines now note that these people can visit with other fully vaccinated people or with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.

The guidelines still note that fully vaccinated people should continue to limit and take precautions in large gatherings and in public. At this time, travel guidelines have not changed.

Fully vaccinated people should still continue to do the following:

Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing
Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease
Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households
Avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings
Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
Follow guidance issued by individual employers
Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations

Fully vaccinated people may also refrain from quarantine and testing after being exposed to COVID-19 or suspected of exposure as long as they remain asymptomatic.

COVID-19 vaccination tents are set up in the north of the Toy Story parking lot at the Disneyland Resort (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

These guidelines are interim while vaccine distribution continues and the CDC works to develop the safest practices. We’ll be keeping an eye on changes and digesting what they mean for your Disney trips. Stay tuned.