More relaxed coronavirus regulations announced by the Centers for Disease Control, many likely to continue masking
PHOTO: Many students plan to remain masked at the start of this summer, despite new regulations announced by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
By Elliot DeJong,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced new recommended regulations for vaccinated Americans on May 28, as outlined on their website.
Fully vaccinated people can now “resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing,” travel domestically without getting tested or quarantining, and refrain from testing and quarantine if an exposure to COVID is identified.
These regulations have not yet been adopted by California, according to the California Department of Public Health, rendering the CDC’s current guidelines ineffective within the state.
Dr. George Thompson is an associate professor of Medicine in the Infectious Disease division at UC Davis. He has helped evaluate the efficacy and safety of various COVID treatments over the past year with his team.
“We shifted our whole clinical trials group, which was about 23 of us, to really help with [the] investigation of new drugs to try and understand the immunology of [COVID-19].”
Thompson plans on continuing to wear his mask at large venues, but won’t at most small or medium-sized events. He received his second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Dec. 21, 2020.
“If I go to a baseball game or something like that, I’ll have to think about [masking] more,” Thompson said.
Kyle Watkins is a sophomore at Davis High. He planned on getting his second dose of the Pfizer Vaccine on June 6. “Right now, I feel really comfortable wearing a mask around. […] At least for the next few weeks, even after I’m vaccinated, I’m going to keep wearing a mask around.”
DHS sophomore Claire Miller shares a similar perspective with Watkins.
“I have to [keep masking] for sports and teaching. I have to wear a mask on the pool deck to teach swim lessons, and for practices, they want us to get tested once or twice a week,” Miller said.
Thompson believes that COVID testing will remain a staple for things like international travel, even after everyone is fully vaccinated.
“I think there’s gonna be a lot of personal preference with [testing]. Some people are going to be rapid adopters. […] Some people are going to be very slow to stop being tested,” Thompson said.
Watkins has gotten used to COVID precautions like weekly testing, and does not feel “totally comfortable” without a mask on in public.
Miller agrees. “I mask, honestly, just for my own comfort.”
