The CDC’s New Mask Guidance

On Thursday May 13, 2021, the Center for Disease Control announced that those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will no longer need to wear a mask or physically distancing themselves from others.

“If you are fully vaccinated, you can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic,” said the CDC in a press release.  

People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and 2 weeks after their single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“I say let people choose. I am not vaccinated. I don’t even carry masks with me anymore. If I was going to visit an elderly home, airport, or hospital, I would wear one out of necessity however, said Christopher Atkinson of Caledonia, WI.

The exception to the recommendation is that masks must still be worn if required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.

“The CDC and who have been adjusting and modifying recommendations for the past year with subjective science and without consensus. I don’t consider their data to have much merit throughout this process. I don’t really care of find validation in anything they say,” said Atkinson.

If you are not yet fully vaccinated, you are still required to wear a mask and take all necessary precautions to protect yourself and prevent the spread of Covid-19.

“If you have a condition or are taking medications that weaken your immune system, you may NOT be fully protected even if you are fully vaccinated. Talk to your health care provider. Even after vaccination, you may need to continue taking all precautions,” said the CDC.

Travel restrictions within the US have been lifted for those who are fully vaccinated. It will no longer be necessary to get tested before or after your travel, or self-quarantine after travel. However, masks are still required on busses, planes, trains, etc.

If you are fully vaccinated and have symptoms of covid-19, you should still get tested and stay away from others. If you have been exposed to someone with Covid-19 and you are not experiencing symptoms, there is no need for you to get tested.

President Joe Biden posted a video to his Instagram account saying, “It’s vaxxed or masked.” The caption read, “The rule is now simple, get vaccinated or wear a mask until you do. The choice is yours.”

On May 4, 2021, at the White House press conference, Biden announced that his new goal for the fight against coronavirus was to get 70% of U.S. adults to receive at least one dose of a Covid vaccine and having 160 million adults fully vaccinated by July 4.

Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its authorization of the Pfizer vaccine on adolescents 12-15 years old.

“The FDA’s expansion of the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to include adolescents 12 through 15 years of age is a significant step in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D. “Today’s action allows for a younger population to be protected from COVID-19, bringing us closer to returning to a sense of normalcy and to ending the pandemic. Parents and guardians can rest assured that the agency undertook a rigorous and thorough review of all available data, as we have with all of our COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorizations.”

As of May 13, 2021, there are 118,987,308 Americans fully vaccinated and 154,624,231 Americans who have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The CDC urges anyone 12 years of age and older to get vaccinated as soon as possible to help stop the pandemic.