Here’s what fully vaccinated Canadians can safely do this summer
- Michael Kras
- 26 Jun 2021
Two-dose summer is upon us! The Public Health Agency of Canada has finally released its official health & safety guidelines for individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Many Canadians have been anxiously awaiting news from the government and public health regarding what can safely be done after receiving both doses of one of the COVID-19 vaccines.
The call for these guidelines has been especially strong as numerous portions of Canada, including here in Ontario, are seeing greater and greater numbers of people fully immunized or, at least, expecting their second doses very shortly.
So what can fully-vaccinated Canadians do this summer? According to the guidelines, any individuals who are fully vaccinated and have waited at least 14 days after their second dose can safely have small social gatherings like dinners with friends and family – indoors or outdoors – without masks or physical distancing measures in place.
Similarly, gatherings featuring people from multiple households – such as private celebrations, ceremonies, places of worship, and fitness classes – are safe for fully-vaccinated people outdoors, including if some individuals are only partially vaccinated or fully unvaccinated.
Indoors presents more risk for that scenario, and even fully vaccinated individuals can consider wearing a mask and maintaining physical distancing; especially if some people present may not be fully vaccinated, or there are people at risk of more severe COVID-19 outcomes.
For large indoor or outdoor gatherings in the near future such as crowded concerts, sporting events, or house parties, fully vaccinated people should consider wearing a mask and maintaining distancing for extra protection.
NEW: The Public Health Agency of Canada has released guidelines for fully vaccinated people ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/YU5UW37UhK
— Erica Natividad (@CityErica) June 25, 2021
But what about the unvaccinated? Those who have received one or zero doses can also gather outdoors relatively safely with small groups of fully vaccinated people, as long as all individuals involved are comfortable.
Small, personal indoor gatherings are possible here too, though the unvaccinated person may choose to keep their mask on and maintain distancing; especially if someone in the group is at higher risk, or the group overall would be more comfortable.
For outdoor gatherings with people from multiple households, unvaccinated people can consider wearing a mask and distancing from others, especially if they’re at higher risk.
However, for indoor gatherings with multiple households, unvaccinated people must still wear a mask and maintain physical distancing from others, and windows and doors should be kept open if possible.
The same goes for unvaccinated people attending large-scale indoor or outdoor events: wear a mask, practice physical distancing, and consider attending only if there are health & safety plans in place.
There are certainly some gaps in this guidance – for instance, it’s not clear what unvaccinated children under 12 are able to safely do – but the framework at least provides a rough guideline for how to safely proceed into summer.
Additionally, the Public Health Agency of Canada has said they will make adjustments on these guidelines as time goes on and more and more Canadians are fully immunized against COVID-19.
Read the full guidelines here.
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