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New CDC Guidelines Allow Fully Vaccinated People to Unmask Indoors

If you’re looking for another way to encourage your employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19—or need motivation for yourself—the latest guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks indoors.

Two weeks after their second vaccination—or their only vaccination if they receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine—people can also forgo social distancing indoors, except under certain circumstances. Dr. Rochelle Walensky,  director of the CDC, said recent studies support the guidance that “anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities—large or small—without wearing a mask or physical distancing.”

An Israeli study published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed the vaccines were 97% effective against symptomatic Covid-19 and 86% effective against asymptomatic infection in over 5,000 health care workers.

Not all fully vaccinated people should stop wearing their masks. Those who are immunocompromised should speak with their doctors first.

Mask requirements will remain during travel on buses, trains, planes, and public transportation. Businesses and organizations may choose to mandate mask wearing in their facilities for the foreseeable future. And as the SARS-CoV-2 virus can be unpredictable, the CDC may have to change these guidelines if the COVID-19 infection rates increase.

To learn what the CDC’s new mask guidance means to the cleaning industry, watch the latest episode of GBACtv below. Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, the senior director for the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA, explains the decision behind the new CDC requirements and the ongoing risks to consider.

 Keep up with GBAC by tuning into GBACtv. Visit https://gbac.issa.com/media/gbactv/