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– It’s a baby step toward normalcy, with more shots being handed out than ever before: The CDC on Monday issued new guidelines giving more freedoms for people who are fully vaccinated. The rules will likely please grandparents to see their grandchildren in person for the first time in a year or so – provided they live nearby. Some highlights:
- Who is eligible: The fully vaccinated are the ones who have received both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. As CNN points out, people are not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after their last injection.
- Attend: The CDC says it’s safe for these people to visit indoors with unvaccinated people from one household without wearing masks or social distancing, according to the Washington PostBut long-distance travel is still discouraged, and such visits should not take place if any of the unvaccinated people are at risk for a serious illness.
- Example: “Fully vaccinated grandparents can visit indoors with their unvaccinated healthy daughter and her healthy children without wearing masks or physical distance, provided that none of the unvaccinated family members is at risk for severe COVID-19,” the report says. CDC, per NBC News.
- Meetings: The fully vaccinated people can gather indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing masks.
- Unchanged: These people should still take the usual precautions of wearing a mask and socializing in public, during meetings with unvaccinated people from multiple households, or when around people at higher risk, according to the AP . They should continue to avoid medium and large groups, poorly ventilated indoor areas, and domestic and international travel.
- Exposure: If exposed to someone who has COVID, fully vaccinated individuals do not need to be quarantined or tested unless they have symptoms.
- A reward: Former acting CDC chief Dr. Richard Besser welcomes the new guidelines. “This opens the door for grandparents to meet their maskless children and grandchildren indoors for a fun group hug,” he tells NBC.
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