"After Vaccination, You Can Meet Low-Risk Unvaccinated People Without a Mask"

US CDC Announces COVID-19 Vaccination Guidelines
Individuals Considered Fully Vaccinated 2 Weeks After Final Dose

Roselle Wallensky, CDC Director
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that individuals vaccinated against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can meet with low-risk unvaccinated people without wearing masks.

On the 8th (local time), the CDC issued guidelines for vaccinated individuals in light of the expanded COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

The CDC classifies those who have received two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine and have passed two weeks since vaccination, as fully vaccinated, and recommends ▲ they can meet indoors with other fully vaccinated individuals without wearing masks or practicing social distancing, and ▲ if unvaccinated individuals at low risk of severe illness are family members, they can meet indoors without masks or social distancing.

Additionally, fully vaccinated individuals exposed to asymptomatic COVID-19 cases may skip quarantine and testing but are advised to monitor for symptoms for 14 days.

However, the CDC stated that fully vaccinated individuals must wear masks and maintain social distancing when interacting with unvaccinated people at high risk of severe COVID-19, or when the unvaccinated person's family members include high-risk individuals.

The CDC also said that unvaccinated individuals must wear masks and follow social distancing when two or more families gather.

The CDC explained, "The level of preventive measures should be determined based on the characteristics of unvaccinated individuals who have no immunity to COVID-19."

Furthermore, while the risk of infection for fully vaccinated individuals in gyms or restaurants is relatively low, the CDC emphasized that they must still follow prevention guidelines in high-risk transmission settings.

The CDC urged fully vaccinated individuals to adhere to basic safety measures such as ▲ wearing well-fitting masks ▲ practicing social distancing in public places ▲ avoiding medium to large crowds ▲ avoiding poorly ventilated public spaces ▲ washing hands frequently ▲ and getting tested if feeling ill.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky stated at a briefing that these guidelines are only the first step and explained, "As more people get vaccinated and understanding of community transmission reduction and immunity increases, the recommendations will be updated."

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver a prime-time address to the nation on the 11th, marking one year since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. This will be President Biden's first prime-time speech since taking office.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.