CLARKSVILLE-MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Tenn. – Fully vaccinated people can gather with other fully vaccinated individuals indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing, according to new guidance distributed Monday by local public health officials.
People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after they have gotten the second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
However, the new guidance also says that everyone – even those who are vaccinated – should continue with mitigation strategies designed to reduce the risks of spreading COVID-19 when in public settings.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the full guidance Monday.
Here's the CDC's specific guidance for what fully vaccinated people can do:
Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.
Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.
Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure to COVID-19 if asymptomatic.
CDC recommends that fully vaccinated people continue to take these COVID-19 precautions when in public, when visiting with unvaccinated people from other households, and when around unvaccinated people who are at high risk of getting severely ill from COVID-19:
Wear a well-fitted mask.
Stay at least 6 feet from people you do not live with.
Avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings.
Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
Follow guidance issued by individual employers.
Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations.
“We know that people want to get vaccinated so they can get back to doing the things they enjoy with the people they love,” said CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky. “There are some activities that fully vaccinated people can begin to resume now in their own homes.
Everyone – even those who are vaccinated – should continue with all mitigation strategies when in public settings.”
CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations are online at:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html
More organizations are administering COVID-19 vaccines in Clarksville-Montgomery County, including APSU, pharmacies at Kroger and Walmart, and several independent pharmacies such as Sango Pharmacy and Hilltop Pharmacy.
All sites are working with the Tennessee Department of Health and Montgomery County Health Department and operating in accord with the state plan to provide vaccinations in phases. For a full list of sites, see https://bit.ly/301F6WI