If You’ve Got the COVID-19 Vax You Can Skip the Mask Sometimes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have updated their guidance on what people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can do, and most smaller group activities outside require no prevention measures.

Guidance released yesterday by the CDC says fully vaccinated people can do the following with no prevention measures:

• Run or bike outdoors with members of your household.
• Attend a small outdoor gathering with fully vaccinated family and friends.
• Attend a small outdoor gathering with fully vaccinated and unvaccinated people.
• Dine outside at a restaurant with friends from multiple households.

The only outdoor activities mentioned by the CDC that they recommend people wear a mask for is attending crowded outside events like concerts, sporting events or a parade.  And even then, for fully vaccinated people the CDC considers that "safest".

Indoor activities that have been deemed "safest" by the CDC for fully vaccinated people, provided they wear a mask are as follows:

• Get a haircut
• Go to an uncrowded, indoor shopping center or museum.
• Ride public transportation with limited occupancy.
• Attend a small, indoor gathering of people from multiple households.
• Go to an indoor movie theater.
• Attend a full-capacity worship service.
• Sing in an indoor chorus.
• Eat at an indoor restaurant or bar.
• participate in an indoor, high intensity, exercise class.

The Centers for Disease Control assumes recommended prevention measures are being followed by both the venue and individual and the venue. And the CDC says it's important each individual consider your own personal situation and the risk to yourself and your family before heading out.

The CDC also suggests people consider how COVID-19 is spreading in your community and how many people are participating in an activity, as well as the location of the activity when weighing the risk factor of being part of that activity.