The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) issued new guidance on Thursday, May 13th for fully vaccinated individuals. Under the CDC’s new guidance, people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing in most indoor or outdoor settings.

Vaccinated individuals must cover their faces and physically distance when going to doctors, hospitals or long-term facilities such as nursing homes; when traveling by bus, plane, train or other modes of public transportation, or while in transportation hubs such as airports and bus stations; and in congregate settings such as homeless shelters, as well as prisons or jails.

Individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the second dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine series. The CDC guidance indicates that unvaccinated people refers to individuals of all ages, including children.

According to the CDC’s guidance, vaccinated individuals must continue to abide by existing state, local, or tribal laws and regulations, and follow local rules for businesses and workplaces. Earlier this month, the California Department of Public Health updated California’s guidelines for face coverings for some outdoor settings. Currently, fully vaccinated individuals in California are not required to wear face coverings outdoors except when attending crowded outdoor events, such as live performances, parades, fairs, festivals, sports events, or other similar settings.

On Monday, May 17^th, Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of California’s Health and Human Services, announced that California will adopt the CDC’s guidance on June 15th. June 15th is the same day Governor Gavin Newsom expects to end most the California’s COVID-19 restrictions if the state’s COVID-19 case numbers continue to improve. Until June 15th, people in California are still required to wear face coverings in indoor settings and outdoor settings where physical distancing is not possible.

Workplaces are not included in the guidance to be adopted on June 15th. Employers must continue to adhere to workplace masking requirements set by California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. The Board is currently considering removing its masking mandates by August 1st.

For any questions regarding this guidance and its implications, please contact Douglas L. White at doug@whitebrennerllp.com, Nubia Goldstein at nubia@whitebrennerllp.com, or the White Brenner LLP office at (916) 468-0950.