New CDC mask guidance draws clear line between vaccinated and unvaccinated

In the eyes of U.S. health officials, there are two groups of people: those who are vaccinated against COVID-19 and those who are not. And they’re stepping up their efforts to get unvaccinated Americans to switch sides.

New guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding when people can safely shed their masks make the benefits of vaccination abundantly clear. Instead of focusing on the serious and potentially deadly risk of COVID-19 to those who aren’t immunized, they emphasize the extent to which those who are can return to an almost-normal life.

“Over the past year we have spent a lot of time telling Americans what they cannot do, what they should not do,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said in a briefing Tuesday. “Today I’m going to tell you some of the things you can do — if you are fully vaccinated.”

Walensky painted a detailed picture of the greater freedom vaccinated Americans can safely enjoy compared with their unvaccinated peers. She and other health officials hoped that doing so would incentivize those who haven’t yet rolled up their sleeves to change their minds and get their shots.

“If you are fully vaccinated, things are much safer for you than those who are not yet fully vaccinated,” Walensky said, emphasizing the divide. “This guidance will help you, your family, and your neighbors make decisions based on the latest science and allow you to safely get back to things you love to do.”

The upside of immunization includes outdoor reunions with extended family and al fresco dining with friends — all without wearing a mask.

With a mask, vaccinated people can safely attend crowded concerts and sporting events, watch a movie inside a real theater, and take a high-intensity exercise class. None of those activities are considered safe for people who aren’t vaccinated.

President Joe Biden, who got his first dose of the Pfizer-biontech vaccine in December, spelled out his administration’s message in a briefing on the North Lawn of the White House.

“The bottom line is clear: If you’re vaccinated, you can do more things more safely,” he said. “Go get the shot.”

The new message could give the country the booster shot it needs to prevent the country’s vaccination campaign from losing too much steam. More than 54% of all adults in the U.S. have now received at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 37% are fully vaccinated, according to the latest figures from the CDC.

But there’s still a long way to go to achieve herd immunity. That will occur when so many people are immune to the coronavirus that it won’t be able to find new hosts to infect and the outbreak will peter out. Experts estimate that up to 85% of the population will need to be vaccinated to reach that protective threshold.