CHICAGO – Despite millions of people now being fully vaccinated against COVID-19, there is still a long way to go before we can return to our pre-pandemic lifestyle. This week, in a series of reports, we take a look at some of the big questions many have about getting back to normal.
The pandemic has made wearing face masks ubiquitous. In many places masks are required to enter restaurants, airports and schools. So when can we safely stop wearing masks?
“I think it’s better to think about it, ‘When can I do X without wearing a mask?’ And the answer to that question is really different for different activities, explained Dr. Emily Landon, chief epidemiologist and executive medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Chicago Medicine.
‘I think over time you will do more and more things without a mask. And unless cases do arise, you’ll have to put your mask back on for more stuff. “
Dr. Landon says it is currently safe for people who have been fully vaccinated not to wear a mask around others who have been fully vaccinated.
“Once I am fully vaccinated, can I spend time with other people who have been fully vaccinated at my home without a mask? I think that’s probably pretty safe, ”she explained.
The CDC issued guidelines on Monday, stating that fully vaccinated people can also get together safely with a small group, such as another household, even if that group has not yet been vaccinated, as long as they are not at high risk for the serious COVID-19 disease . .
During the 1918-1919 flu pandemic, which killed some 675,000 people in the US, they wore electoral shields, as they were called, for years. But historians point out that resistance, inconsistency, and improper masking, coupled with the use of ineffective materials, likely prolonged the need.
Texas and Mississippi recently fully reopened and revoked mask mandates to join more than a dozen other states that don’t need them.
“Personal vigilance, to follow safe standards, is still needed to control COVID. It’s just that state mandates are no longer needed, ”said Texas Governor Greg Abbott at the time.
Critics say it is too soon.
Dr. Landon says that as positivity rates drop and vaccination coverage increases, we’ll see some mask requirements relax quite quickly.
“I think you’ll see a lot of people this summer who can do outdoor activities without a mask on. I think you will see in the fall that many places will start to ease some of their masking restrictions, ”said Dr. Landon.
But it will be some time before the population’s immunity is high enough for us to be safely exposed in public indoor spaces, such as supermarkets and restaurants, when we are around people we don’t know.
Dr. Landon says the wearing of masks will not disappear completely in the next two years. When we see virus cases increase seasonally, such as in winter, wearing a mask may be necessary.
“I think it’s going to be this kind of push and pull, you know, riding the waves of the mask,” said Dr. Landon.
While it’s too early to throw out your masks – depending on the circumstances and who you’re around with – you may be able to wear them less and less.