CDC Guidelines: Cheat sheet on what to do after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine

As the vaccinations continue, the Centers for Disease Control recently released guidelines on what people can do after being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Fully vaccinated means that it’s been two weeks since you received your second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks since you received your single dose of Johnson & Johnson.

Life may soon start to have a semblance of normalcy, but just because you’ve been vaccinated does not mean you can go on a rampage, it’s going to live out your pre-pandemic style.

Here’s a quick guide to what you can – and still can not do – according to the CDC:

Cozy traffic

Can I see my friends and family once I have been completely vaccinated?
Yes! Do not have a big party with everyone you know, but the CDC admits that socialization becomes much safer once vaccines are involved. The guidelines differ based on whether the people you want to see are also vaccinated.

• With vaccinations you can meet indoors without masks
• If you have not been vaccinated, you can only meet with members of one household indoors without masks – as long as none of your inexperienced friends / family are at high risk. This means that you still want to avoid seeing vaccinated elderly or people with underlying conditions that could make a potential COVID-19 infection serious, just to be extra safe.

What about large gatherings?
The CDC still advises medium and large gatherings, even if you are fully vaccinated.

What about hugs?
This is where your personal comfort comes into play with risk, but the risk of COVID-19 transmission with two people being fully vaccinated is almost zero, so hugs should be pretty safe there. When one person is vaccinated and the other one has a low risk, the hug is also a low risk in members of a single household.

Masking

Do I have to wear a mask if I am still vaccinated?
Being vaccinated does not exempt you from local and state ordinances to wear masks or face masks in public. Although the CDC says that you can be indoors and unmasked with members of one household, the agency still suggests wearing a mask when you are with many people, in public or as messages.

You should continue to wear a mask or face mask, and practice the distance of 6 feet when:

• Go indoors with people from more than one household
• Visits to people who are at high risk for COVID-19 and who have not been vaccinated
• In public

Travel

Can I travel now that I am fully vaccinated?
The CDC continues to suggest avoiding unnecessary domestic and international travel. Many countries still prohibit U.S. citizens from entering.

If you do have to travel, you must still comply with valid restrictions, such as wearing a mask on an airline or taking a PCR test before you arrive (depending on destination).

Quarantine

Should I be self-quarantined if I am exposed to COVID-19?
If you come in contact with someone who has COVID-19 and you have been completely vaccinated, you no longer need to have self-guarantee if you have no symptoms.

If you start having symptoms, put your self-quarantine and get tested, says the CDC.

See the full guidelines of the CDC here.