PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania is on board with updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released on Thursday, saying people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can skip mask-wearing in most situations.
Other municipalities including Philadelphia and the states of New Jersey and Delaware are taking slower or more cautious approaches.
"If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky announced Thursday afternoon. "We have all longed for this moment when we can get back to some sense of normalcy."
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The CDC defines "fully vaccinated" as having two weeks after both shots of Moderna and Pfizer, or two weeks after the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
President Joe Biden, who went maskless while speaking at the White House on Thursday following the announcement, said the mask guidance would not have been eased if so many Americans had not cooperated with mitigation efforts and, eventually, gotten vaccinated.
"You've endured all this. When your country asked you to get vaccinated, you did. The American people stepped up. You did what I consider to be your patriotic duty. That’s how we've gotten to this day," Biden said.
The new guidance also says fully vaccinated people do not need to maintain 6 feet of physical distancing from other people. However, it is ultimately up to state and local governments, and businesses, to determine how they will handle that guidance.
The CDC says fully vaccinated people should follow the rules that are in place, wherever they are. The agency also says people should continue to wear masks in vulnerable places, such as on buses and planes, in hospitals and prisons, and at shelters for homeless people.
Pennsylvania is one of several states in the country that changed mask policies to align with the CDC guidance. The update marks the biggest change to the commonwealth’s mask mandate since it went into effect nearly 400 days ago.
"This is another incentive to get the vaccine that is now easily and conveniently available," acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said in an official statement. "Once 70% of Pennsylvanians over 18 are fully vaccinated, we can completely lift the masking order."
As of Thursday morning, the Department of Health said nearly 47% of Pennsylvania adults were fully vaccinated.
There are no changes so far to existing mask orders in Philadelphia. Delaware Gov. John Carney announced Friday that he will follow the CDC and lift the state’s indoor and outdoor mask requirement, effective May 21.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy issued what he plans to be the final COVID-19 public health emergency on Friday. He said will be allowed to expire in June if the state legislature passes policies to help continue to fight the virus without needing a public emergency action from his office.
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He said the CDC’s announcement was welcome and a great incentive for people to roll up their sleeves.
"The CDC doesn't make the announcements, A, without confidence, which is important, and, B, without basically saying this is what life will look like if you’re fully vaccinated," Murphy said on Thursday.
The CDC’s new guidance comes with some questions. There is no universal "vaccine passport" or standard set to prove that someone has been vaccinated. It is essentially an honor system for now, and wearing masks can help keep vulnerable people, including those who are immunocompromised, safe.
While Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine can now be given to children as young as age 12, younger children are still not eligible. And there may be concern from essential workers who have many face-to-face interactions on a regular basis.
Marc Perone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, which represents 1.3 million food and retail workers, called the guidance "confusing."
"Millions of Americans are doing the right thing and getting vaccinated, but essential workers are still forced to play mask police for shoppers who are unvaccinated and refuse to follow local COVID safety measures. Are they now supposed to become the vaccination police?” Perone said in a statement released on Thursday.
Also, some fully vaccinated people, either out of habit or for safety concerns, may choose to keep their masks on.
Biden addressed that scenario and the politicization of masks in the country.
"So, if you’re someone with a mask -- you see them -- please treat them with kindness and respect," Biden said. "We've had too much conflict, too much bitterness, too much anger, too much polarization of this issue about wearing masks. Let’s put it to rest."