On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced long-awaited guidance for fully vaccinated Americans.
According to that guidance, they can gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or physical distancing. They can also gather freely with people considered low-risk for severe COVID-19, including fully vaccinated grandparents seeing their children and grandchildren. That makes people like Jeneice Zollman happy. Zollman is fully vaccinated because of her job.
"I'm just glad I got it done so I can be with my family again," Zollman said. "Now, I feel safer to be around them."
When the pandemic started, Zollman faced a few problems. All of her close family live near her including her mom who's 83.
"Somebody had to check on her. I just live one mile down the road, but I kept my distance. We wore our masks," Zollman said. "I bought groceries for her and when I did visit, we were never in the same room."
Zollman said she did the same with her grandkids and their parents.
"We still saw each other too. It was about the same way [as my mom] to be honest. No touchy feely or goodbye hugs and kisses. Nothing like that," Zollman said. "I'm just glad more people are getting vaccinated."
The CDC is continuing to recommend that fully vaccinated people continue to wear well-fitted masks, avoid large gatherings, and physically distance themselves from others when out in public.
The CDC also advised vaccinated people to get tested if they develop symptoms that could be related to COVID-19.
About 30 million Americans — or only about 9% of the U.S. population — have been fully vaccinated with a federally authorized COVID-19 vaccine so far, according to the CDC. The guidance given by the CDC is for those who are at least two weeks out from either their two shot doses of Modern or Pfizer or their one shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
