On May 13, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People in non-health care settings. In summary, fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any non-healthcare setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. IDPH is working to adjust existing guidance documents in response.
Guidance for healthcare settings remains unchanged at this time and can be found at Updated Healthcare Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations in Response to COVID-19 Vaccination. In addition, employees and residents of congregate settings, such as correctional facilities and homeless shelters, should continue to mask. Similarly, schools should continue to follow the CDC’s school guidance until more people and children are vaccinated.
The CDC’s guiding principles for these updates are:
- Indoor and outdoor activities pose minimal risk to fully vaccinated people.
- Fully vaccinated people have a reduced risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to unvaccinated people.
- Fully vaccinated people should still get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
- Fully vaccinated people should not visit private or public settings if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the prior 10 days or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
The following recommendations for fully vaccinated persons are as follows:
- Resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance
- Resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel (For now, masking is still required on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation.)
- Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States
- Refrain from testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with some exceptions for specific settings (e.g., employees or residents of homeless shelters and detention facilities)
- Refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic
- Refrain from routine screening testing if feasible
For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:
- Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
- Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations