CDC says masks are no longer required for the fully vaccinated

Finally.

Ran a bit of a social experiment today, going into the grocery store and bank unmasked. No one said anything. Feels good. Most still had their masks on and I felt a few dirty looks, but whatever.

If the CDC’s guideline isn’t enough, what ever will be? This is a major step back towards normality. Thoughts? Are you going maskless henceforth? Have you always been maskless? Will you continue to wear one anyway?

Just got my second shot today. Will adhere to rules per business. PA is loosening the mask mandate so things may change here but I can't wait to get back to even semi normal. That said I don't actually mind masks.

I'm getting my second shot on Saturday, so I'll be good to go pretty soon. If a business still wants its patrons to wear a mask for the time being, I don't have a problem with that. I've been doing it for over a year now; no big deal. I am looking forward to putting them away soon though.

Second shot next week. I'll still wear masks, our company is mandating it until further notice and even once lifted will continue to mandate it for those who haven't had a vaccine yet.

Beyond work I expect I will continue wearing masks every now and then, if I have a cold or something bad enough to take a day off, the next week probably wear it.

Even once Covid is over masks are good for breaking up our annual cold and flu season. We should take this as a que to let mask culture stick around in America like it already has in many other nations.

I'm fully vaccinated this is great news.

Supposed to wait at least two weeks after your second shot to go maskless, and it’s still recommended in buses, trains, and the hospital. I got my booster on the 23rd so good to go.

But this is great news regardless. Hopefully this will incentivize people who‘ve not had their shots to get them.

Had my first shot of AZ a few weeks ago, and they're supposed to call me to book the second shot. Have no idea when that will be.

No side effects other than a 24 hour fever, and now I hear the windows xp startup sound whenever I wake up for some reason.

That’s good news considering the masks don’t do much anyways, if they did there’s would be minimum requirements as to what material they are made of, thread count/pore size, proper fitting for individuals etc. Canada needs to wake up and follow this lead.

The CDC is caving, first they said even fully vaccinated you should wear them and now you don’t? Which is it? I’ll still wear them after I get my second shot because others won’t get vaccinated.

@MirkoS77:

YES!!!!! I'm still due to get my 2nd dose on the 29th. I still haven't vaccinated my little one though but I'll definitely get on that afterwards. Where I'm at, things are starting to loosen up too. Now, we can actually dine-in at McDonalds and and other fast food places. I still don't know why they were restricted though when places like IHOP and fancy diners were open to eat inside. But ever since then, I've been seeing tons of people visiting McDonalds more than ever.

Just got my first moderna shot yesterday, second is in June. Not that far away, i’m excited.

Been fully vaccinated for a while but will probably keep wearing a mask for the foreseeable future. Even if I'm not at much risk, I could still be a carrier.

Most stores here still require masks to enter. I guess they don't want to vaccine ID everyone so they enforce it for all and I'm fine with that. I'll continue wearing my mask until it's not a normal thing anymore. I kind of came to like it.

@joshrmeyer: Most just take it off after they come in, nobody stops them.

This is stupid because the non-vaccinated will just go where the vaccinated people are walking around without masks and spread and create new variants. We are still falling short of the estimated heard immunity which they place between 70 and 90 percent. Do they have a plan of how to keep the non-vaccinated out of these spaces, or beef up integrity of vaccine credential?

My work just emailed us all after this news to tell us we still need to follow mask mandating on premises... good.

Wow I said this 2 weeks ago... Told you so sheep.

@lamprey263: Why I am ignoring it.

Well, I'm bound to get my second shot of Pfizer in almost ten days now!

tbh a mask is such a minor inconvenience at this point i can go either way on this. i'll be 2 weeks post second vaccine tomorrow so i guess it's good timing.

i can forsee dummies having fits over this though if a store still request its patrons wear a mask rather than having to try to enforce vaccine verification.

there's always an asshole in the group

The skeptic in me says they only did this because Biden wants something good to talk about since he hasn't really been doing that great of late.

But whatever, I'll take it. I don't really mind COVID too much as far as every day life goes, it's just the masks that annoy me. They get all humid and they don't fit me right since I have a big head. I Look like a pissed-off cat, my ears get pulled down.

I haven't even been able to get my first vaccination yet. So yeah, masks and social distancing are the way to go for me still.

@mrbojangles25: Biden has been doing fine

I am already fully vaccinated and still wearing the masks because there are still non-vaccinated people. I think I will take it off if everything is starting to get back to normal.

There has to come a point where masks are done. Data has shown that the vaccines drastically reduce the ability to get and transmit C-19.

Wearing masks isn’t going to make that 35% wisen up. They’re going to be idiots anyway, they can’t be reached. I’m not going to be penalized for other people’s stupidity. I’ve done my part, and I’m not irresponsible for not wearing a mask.

I intend to still carry one in my pocket along with my CDC vaccination card, and I‘ll put it on if it’s really important to someone or a business, but my default is now to be breathing fresh air and that’s what I’ll do unless (kindly) asked otherwise.

Wish more people were this smart.

@MirkoS77: I kindly ask you to wear a mask.

Are you sure you meant to use the word request?

For the past year we all have been in stores and witnessed individuals who either completely ignored wearing a mask or wore a mask under the nose which is as good as not wearing one at all.

Kind of obvious this was going to happen as a larger percent of the population became fully vaccinated. Simply follow CDC guidelines, I understand they are always altered as the situation is constantly changing but it's really not that hard.

I hope this announcement lowers the high Republican vaccine hesitation though. It's as baffling as their anti mask bullshit from last year.

Yeah he has been OK, but his indifference to the immigration issue (basically "I've got bigger problems to worry about") and the report about jobs hasn't put him in the best light.

I don't want a president that's simply better than Trump, I want a good president.

Had an acquaintance today say he isn't getting the vaccine because doing so is "too woke".

The mental gymnastics these people do...

@mrbojangles25: Don't sweat the jobs report much. It's a temporary blip due to the economic shuffles we're seeing. We won't know for certain if the same holds true for inflation until after summer, but it's highly likely that's the case - that it's a transitory rise caused by recent supply shocks as we emerge from the Covid lull.

Could you explain your comment regarding the report on jobs?

iirc biden was basically like "yep, it's not as good as we expected, but we didn't expect things to get better overnight anyway"

Yeah pretty much this. I'll try to find a link when I get back from work.

@joebones5000: People I respect on the matter are convinced that the odds of vaccinated people asymptomatically transmitting the virus are "infinitesimally small."

It may occur, but it seems to be exceedingly rare in part due to how effective the vaccines are.

@lamprey263: "My work just emailed us all after this news to tell us we still need to follow mask mandating on premises... good."

My current employer is offering vaccines on site to anyone who wants one. I'm waiting for them to nut up and tell people the vaccine is required for all employees.

Oh good now we can rely on the fantastic people who won't get the vaccine to continue wearing masks in public.

I will continue wearing masks for the most part in public, even tho I am fully vaccinated.

If stores/establishments still mandate the mask then yes I will continue to wear it. I do enjoy it for work though, people are unable to read facial expressions and with that effective use of pauses. Not to mention the grotesque/sometimes comical scenes I roll into which makes "the smell" more bearable.

I'll still find comedic enjoyment of the "voters" who wear masks alone in their cars or wear them outdoors.

Why? Most of the time if I'm going somewhere that needs it I just leave it on and forget about it. What's the humor?

@comp_atkins: What was he supposed to say? Did anybody really expect it to? Well, other than Trump supporters so they could bash Biden if it didn’t and give credit to Trump if it did.

@Stevo_the_gamer: You find people being safe funny? I don’t wear it in my car, but I do outside.

No, but we do know that the chances of even getting infected with Covid in the first place for those vaccinated are 5+%, give or take. What more do you want? What if that 35% never lessens? Do you demand a 100% efficacy of vaccines and their transmission risks in that case to deem people "responsible" in them not wearing masks until the day they die?

You know that's not realistic. We're not talking about 20, 30, 40, or 50% effectiveness. It's in the nineties, and to abide a 95% efficacy rate of even getting infected in the first place is in no way irresponsible, even in light of those 35% who are to stupid to get poked, especially considering that those who DO get infected, the percentage of death is still relatively minimal.

@MirkoS77: I think people should get vaccinated if they are fat, old or at risk with health issues. But Americans don’t need permission to wear or not wear a mask.

I think everyone should get vaccinated the moment they get the opportunity.

Much of the responses I’ve been reading in opposition to this recommendation stem from the fact that people are uncomfortable because so many have not been. Yet vaccine operations are winding down when we’re still in large double digits of those without it.

I‘d like to say I don’t care who gets vaccinated, because honestly (aside from my loved ones and friends) I really don’t, but when their inaction imposes on my freedom or paints me the enemy/irresponsible after I’ve taken responsibility, there’s a problem. Masks suck. Not only the hassle of carrying them everywhere, they are a social impediment, covering half the face, making reading people and picking up on social and behavioral nuance harder. Handshakes are pretty much gone, and I don’t think they will ever be acceptable again, or at least not for many years.

I’m reading some say they’re never going to stop wearing masks. Why would anyone ever want to live that way permanently?

Stop with this crap. If there's one thing the pandemic taught me, it's Americans are childish, selfish brats. Not all. But a good portion.

@Vaasman: It's unnecessary and patently silly; excused if forgotten though, busy bees in life can make habits die hard.

Denver lifted all restrictions as of yesterday. No masks, no social distancing, no max capacity. Businesses still have the right to limit, though. Anyway, I've been as patient as I can. I'm vaccinated, so if those who chose not to get sick and die, we gave them enough time. We can't force them to, so all that's left is for the virus to weed them out. I know it sounds cold, but I don't care anymore.