Furthering the lack of clarity, the CDC frames the guidance as “recommendations” for vaccinated people, rather than explicit directives that local governments, businesses, or employers should follow. Important to note for employers, the guidance does not define what constitutes a “public indoor setting,” leaving it unclear whether it applies to employment settings such as private office spaces or manufacturing facilities, which are not generally open to the public.
In its latest guidance, however, the CDC partially reverses its position on masking and now recommends that fully vaccinated individuals wear a mask in “public indoor settings” if they are in an area of “substantial” or “high” transmission. Based on that guidance, many employers revised their return to work health and safety protocols to reflect a mask-free standard for fully vaccinated employees.ĬDC’s Newest Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People
Prior to Tuesday’s changes, on May 13, 2021, the CDC had advised that fully-vaccinated individuals could safely participate in most activities, including public gatherings indoors, without the use of face coverings or masks. The new recommendations in this surprise update-particularly reinstating indoor masking for fully vaccinated individuals, but only in certain geographic areas based on changing new case rates-places employers in the difficult position of: 1) understanding what their obligations are and 2) balancing the new recommendations with both the expectations of employees and the desire to maintain a safe and productive workplace. On Tuesday, July 27, 2021-in response to the latest developments relating to the spread of the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant of the coronavirus-the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, addressing such issues as masking and responding to COVID-19 exposure.
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