How to prove you are vaccinated to go without a mask under CDC guidelines
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated their guidelines giving those who are fully vaccinated more freedom to go maskless.
Upon looking at the data from real world effectiveness of the covid-19 vaccine and the downward trajectory of infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Wednesday that fully vaccinated individuals can now show their smile to the world. But there are some places where you’ll still need to don a mask.
Over 46 percent of the US population has received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine and nearly 36 percent is now fully vaccinated. The change in guidance begs the question: how do you show that you are fully vaccinated?
Where is mask wearing still required?
The new guidance from the CDC says that people who are fully vaccinated can remove their masks outdoors as well in most cases when they are indoors. The exceptions being for crowded indoor settings like prisons and homeless shelters as well as hospitals. Likewise, the CDC says that you should still wear a mask on planes, trains, buses and all forms of public transportation as well in transit hubs like airports and stations.
Even fully vaccinated individuals will have to follow state restrictions and those imposed by businesses, think of it like “no shirt, no shoes, no service.”
Proving that you have been fully vaccinated
There is no official government document that proves whether or not you’ve been vaccinated. The closest thing available right now is the paper card you get from wherever you got vaccinated to remind you when to get your second shot. These can be easily faked and health authorities have cautioned people not to post pictures of theirs on social media.
Digital vaccination verification is only currently available in New York through the Excelsior Pass, but the program is voluntary. Clear Health Pass is looking to rollout a covid-19 digital passport which some sports stadiums and airlines are already using to prove a negative covid-19 test. But there are complications with these with several states already banning their use in one way or another.
Will businesses ask for vaccination verification?
Over the past year there have been numerous videos of patrons to businesses behaving poorly when told that they need to wear a mask. With proving whether or not a patron is vaccinated will most likely be just as problematic if not more. Since there is no official document for vaccination it will be difficult for businesses to distinguish between those fully vaccinated and those who are not.
The White House has said that it will not mandate a federal verification through digital passports and Dr. Anthony Fauci acknowledged that requiring people to show proof would be "virtually a functional equivalent of a vaccine passport, and I don't think that's going to work." He added "I think there's going to be a pushback against questioning somebody when they walk in, because you can never validate or prove that they're telling you the truth."