Friday, March 19 will mark one-year since California’s lockdown. That action helped save lives. Now, as greater numbers of people get vaccinated, we are eagerly about the business of reopening. As safety increases with the vaccination, the Centers for Disease Control recently entered new guidelines for people who are FULLY VACCINATED (2 weeks after the second dose series like the Pfizer or Moderna shots OR 2 weeks after a single-dose injection, Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine). These recommendations will change as more people become vaccinated. Please keep alert for changes.
What’s Changed:
- Visit other fully vaccinated people indoors without masks or physical distancing.
- Visit indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household without masks or physical distancing, if the unvaccinated people are at low risk for severe disease.
- Skip quarantine and testing if exposed to someone who has COVID-19 but you are not showing symptoms of the virus. If you show symptoms, do stay away from others and get tested.
What Hasn’t Changed Even If You Are Fully Vaccinated:
- Wear a mask and keep good physical distance around the unvaccinated who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19, or if the unvaccinated person has a household member who is at higher risk.
- Wear masks and physically distance when visiting unvaccinated people who are from multiple households.
- Continue following basic safety precautions:
- Wear a well-fitting mask.
- Wash hands frequently.
- Practice physical distance in public.
- Avoid medium or large-sized gatherings.
- Follow common health advice: Get adequate rest, eat healthy foods, exercise.
- Delay domestic and international travel unless following CDC requirements and recommendations.
- Follow your workplace guidelines.
Full vaccination for California, and the country, is not expected for several more months. Following the guidelines above can keep loved ones safe and help us all safely return back to normal as quickly as possible. Scientists and health professionals know the virus is effective at preventing hospitalization and death but are still learning more about how the effectiveness of the vaccine against virus variants.
If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, vaccine information and appointment assistance can be found on the San Bernardino County website. To learn more about school re-openings, business, housing or food assistance please visit the county’s COVID-19 Response page. For mental and behavioral health assistance, call the 24/7 Access & Referral Helpline at
1-888-743-1478.
I recently held a vaccine town hall with county health officials. The question and answer summary from that town hall is available on my website.