The Centers for Disease Control eases covid- 19 restrictions for those who are vaccinated

On Monday, the Federal health officials released guidelines that give freedom to fully vaccinated Americans to socialize and participate in routine activities. The five-page guidelines offer a road map to resuming aspects of daily life that have been on hold for over a year. The guidelines come into being as States have begun reopening, government and public health officials are vaccinating as many people as possible to avoid the introduction of highly transmissible versions of the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people who have a two weeks gap after their final shot will face minimal risks if they are indoors with unvaccinated members of a single household at low risk of a severe disease without distancing and wearing masks. There is no need for them to self-quarantine or be tested after exposure to the coronavirus unless they show symptoms. But if the exposure takes place in crowded settings like prison and group homes, they must still quarantine for 14 days and get tested. 

This allows many vaccinated grandparents to freely be with their grandchildren for the first time in a year. Long-distance travels and visits are however not advisable. The co-director for the Texas Children's Center for Vaccine Development, Peter Hotez, welcomed the new information and expressed that it had taken CDC too long to tell a tired populace when their masks can come off. Hotez said, "The sooner we move to tell people if you're fully vaccinated, you don't have to wear masks, that will be an incentive for people to get vaccinated."  

The pace has picked up in the United States after a slow start with 60 million people having received one shot and more than 31 million people now fully vaccinated as of Monday, making a rough 9% of the population. On the 6th, Saturday, March 2021, a new record of 2.9, million doses were administered while daily an average of 2.2 million people is vaccinated. This in tandem with President Biden's vow to have enough supply for every adult by May. 

The guidance says if a fully vaccinated person visits an unvaccinated friend of 70 and therefore at risk of severe disease the visit should take place outside.CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the guidance seeks to balance probable risks to those who are unvaccinated and on community transmission against the benefit of  "getting back go some of the things that we love in life" for those who are inoculated. She warned that millions more need to be vaccinated before everyone can stop following COVID19 precautions. CDC will continue to update its guidance if there is a decrease in new infections while vaccinations go up.

But with over 90 percent of the population still unvaccinated and a high level of virus, those who have received shots might get infections with lesser amounts of virus. Officials discourage travel because according to Walensky, "every time that there is a surge in travel, we have a surge in cases in this country. We know that many variants have emerged from international places, and we know that a travel corridor is a place where people are mixing a lot." 

The CDC also advises vaccinated people to follow the CDC travel recommendations and requires all international travelers to show proof that they have tested negative for coronavirus before boarding flights to the United States. In public settings, all vaccinated people should continue to follow all health precautions including social distancing.