People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may safely gather with other households, even if those people have not yet had their shots, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said on March 8. It is the first federal public health guidance aimed at resuming some kind of normal activity for people who have received both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna shots or one shot of the single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the final dose, giving the body time to build antibodies against the virus. Fully vaccinated people can congregate indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing face coverings or practicing physical distancing.

Fully vaccinated people may gather with a small group, such as another household, even if that household has not been vaccinated. The new guidelines do not, however, suggest that fully vaccinated people can go back to life as it was in 2019. In public or around others who are vulnerable to COVID-19 complications, mitigation measures should remain in line with the status quo, the CDC said.