Why the CDC Guidance Makes Sense and Why it Really REALLY Doesn't

The CDC recently came out with guidance saying it is ok for fully vaccinated people to go maskless in most outdoor spaces and some indoor spaces (no, not all outdoor spaces and certainly not all indoor spaces as it has been simplified by the news and individuals to suggest).

This makes sense because it is indeed safe for the person who is vaccinated in that they are protected from severe illness by the vaccine(s).  It also makes sense because we want as many people to get vaccinated so the more incentives we can give people the better.  The vaccines appear to reduce spread and with less spread comes fewer impacted by long-haul illnesses, fewer immunocompromised getting severely ill, as well as fewer chances of mutations that the vaccines are less effective at protecting us against.

So there you have it, the CDC guidance makes sense.

Oh, did you think I was going to explain how the downsides of the CDC guidance shift?

Did you think I was going to point out that the CDC guidance has been simplified to the point that many will likely think they can gather in close proximity outside without reason for any concern or that they can gather in crowded indoor locations without any fear?  That surely isn't a big deal considering that the vaccinated are completely safe from this illness... they are nearly invulnerable to ... ok, so they're only nearly invulnerable to the severe levels of the illness.... they can still be easily afflicted though they almost certainly won't die or be hospitalized.  But surely that doesn't matter to them.

Did you think I was going to point out that the guidance muddies the waters for businesses trying to uphold the safety of their community?  I mean, sure, last year right around this time we had many many stories of people walking into businesses and confronting workers with hostility over the rules the businesses had put in place (or indeed the rules the local and state governments had put in place).  And yeah, these stories are back on the rise now and the pushback from individuals is that the CDC guidance is no longer supportive of the rules, even if the rules are indeed the rules put in place by the business or the local/state government and not the CDC.  But, you know what we really need right now?  Hostility toward workers and business owners that are just trying to do what they can to keep us safe.  That seems like a really good thing to come out of any guidance if you ask me.

Did you think I would point out that those who didn't respect rules in the first place are highly correlated to those that won't get vaccinated and will just use this guidance as cover?  No, not all that aren't going to get vaccinated are the same people who feel that masking up to protect the community went against their "freedom" and as an overreach of governments and businesses.  But there is most certainly a high correlation and those that were of this group will most certainly find that this guidance allows them to walk around without either vaccine or mask wherever they choose (except for where people are required to remain distanced and masked regardless of vaccination status) because there is no place that is going to require you to show your vaccination card and check the dates to confirm it's been long enough after your vaccination for you to be considered lower risk (yes, again, this is "lower risk" not "no risk").  So, yeah, good, it's a good thing that the people that have been pushing for COVID-19 spread (not because they like the illness but still, that's what they're pushing) will feel less persecuted for their lack of respect for expert guidance and lack of empathy for those most adversely impacted by COVID-19.

Or perhaps you thought I was going to point out that none of this matters because the real issue facing us from the beginning of the pandemic wasn't just simply teaching people how to keep each other safe.  From the beginning, the bigger issue was convincing people to do little things that have little impact to themselves but are better for the greater community.  Wearing masks was never as important for protecting one's self as it was protecting others when the wearer didn't know they were infectious.  That was a hard sell, though.  As long as I'm safe, why should I care about you.  And as long as I'm vaccinated, what have I to fear of the spread of COVID-19 or the possible mutations the spread can bring or the harm the spread will cause those who remain unvaccinated for one reason or another or the long term effects that aren't severe enough to cause hospitalization that COVID-19 spread may cause to those vaccinated... why should I care about any of that so long as I am safe, and this is the message the CDC is sending with the new guidance: vaccinated people are utterly safe from COVID-19 and the rest of the world can go f' themselves.  

I suppose you thought I would say all these things and conclude that the CDC guidance was folly and that we should really be pushing to get rid of COVID-19 as much as possible rather than stopping short at the 40 yard line and calling it a touchdown.  Well, clearly you'd be wrong. 

Stay safe. Stay sane. Stay informed. Or, as the CDC would guide you to do, stay uncaring about the reality of our situation as long as you are not immediately and severely at risk.