COLUMBUS, Ind. — Fully vaccinated Bartholomew County residents may gather with other vaccinated people indoors without wearing a mask or social distancing, according to long-awaited guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The recommendations, announced Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also say that vaccinated people can come together in the same way — in a single household — with people considered at low-risk for severe disease, such as in the case of vaccinated grandparents visiting healthy children and grandchildren, The Associated Press reported.
The guidance is designed to address a growing demand, as more adults have been getting vaccinated and wondering if it gives them greater freedom to visit family members, travel, or do other things like they did before the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world last year.
Locally, Dr. Brian Niedbalski, Bartholomew County health officer, said he “fully supports” the CDC recommendations, but is still urging people to take precautions, including avoiding medium to large gatherings.
“This shows that we are taking steps to return to normalcy, which is a good thing,” Niedbalski said. “We still need to take precautions, like wearing masks and following social distancing recommendations, when going out in public places. We also need to continue to be cautious to avoid medium to large gatherings, even if vaccinated. There is still a high level of community spread and vaccination does not provide 100% protection.”
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
