What the COVID-19 Vaccine means for Weddings
March 8, 2021: CDC Announces That "Fully Vaccinated" People Will Be Allowed to Gather Indoors
On March 8, 2021, the CDC issued new guidance for vaccinated people. The highly anticipated news outlines behavior for fully vaccinated individuals, but it also gives some clarity about the future—specifically, spring and summer 2021 weddings, according to many in the wedding industry. The CDC even said this new guidance is a "first step" to returning to everyday activities.
The announcement: "Fully vaccinated people will be allowed to gather indoors with other fully vaccinated people without wearing masks or social distancing," according to the CDC. This means that wedding guests, if vaccinated, will be able to gather, unmasked, with others who are vaccinated. They will also be allowed to gather in "small groups" with those who are not yet vaccinated if they are at a "low risk" of serious illness for the virus.
For reference, what it means to be "fully vaccinated" is dependent on when an individual received the vaccine and also what vaccine they were given. For example, individuals are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines and two weeks after receiving the single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
March 2, 2021: "Every Adult in America Will Be Vaccinated by the End of May," Biden Announces
With the approval of a third vaccine and a stepped-up process of production, Biden announced that the vaccine timeline has been pushed up from the original estimated date of July until May. "We’re now on track to have enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May," he said.
What New Vaccine Guidance Means For Weddings
As mentioned, the announcement on March 8, 2021, is a step in returning to normal activities. But what exactly does this mean for weddings? When breaking down the statement, it's important to remember what is specifically outlined and what is to-be-determined.
What We Know
At this time, based on the CDC guidance outlined, the following will be allowed.
Wedding guests, if vaccinated, can visit, unmasked and without social distancing, with other guests who are vaccinated.
Vaccinated guests can gather in "small groups, " or with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.
Vaccinated guests can refrain from quarantine and testing following known exposure to COVID-19 if asymptomatic.
Vaccinated guests should wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households.
What We Don't Know
In the statement, the CDC encourages vaccinated individuals to "avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings." While we can assume that weddings fall into this category, the agency did not specify the gathering size with numbers.
What We Can do about it
We are still encouraging people who are confident in holding their wedding, that they should consider our micro-wedding package to be safe during the vaccine roll-out process. By having a micro-wedding, you are ensuring a safer environment than a regular wedding size that could be between 100 -150 people. You will also feel more secure to proceed with your wedding, instead of postponing it to a later date just to have a bigger wedding.
Even though vaccines will be giving us more confidence in our daily lives, that doesn´t mean you should dive in at warp speed to get life back to normal without masks and social distancing. There are still risks and a timeline unique for each individual of when they will be completely vaccinated. Let us help you navigate this unusually time in wedding planning, so you can continue to move forward with the life you always dreamed of having! MARRIAGE. FAMILY. LOVE
Reference: BRIDES MAGAZINE