On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC) unveiled updated guidelines detailing activities that vaccinated people can safely resume. The guidelines continue the trend of public health authorities relaxing previous guidelines for individuals that have received a COVID-19 vaccine. See Health Law Pulse posts here, here and here.
After studying how likely vaccinated people are to transmit the virus, the CDC says fully vaccinated people can:
- Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without masks or social distancing;
- Attend small outdoor gatherings with both vaccinated and unvaccinated people;
- Dine at outdoor restaurants with individuals from multiple households;
- Exercise outdoors without wearing a mask;
- Resume domestic travel without testing before or after travel and refrain from self-quarantine after travel; and
- Refrain from testing before leaving the U.S. for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-quarantine upon arrival back in the U.S.
The CDC still urges all Americans to wear masks when attending medium or large gatherings outdoors and in most indoor settings and asks Americans to continue to be mindful when around those with an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
Relatedly, on Friday, April 23, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC lifted the pause regarding the use of the Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S. and said the use of the vaccine should resume.
Norton Rose Fulbright lawyers will continue to provide relevant updates on the COVID-19 PHE on the Health Law Pulse.