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Shar and Ernest Anderson just received their second COVID vaccine doses at a middle school in Beaumont.
“I’m so excited I‘ve lived for this day for sure, I can live another 10, 20 years,” says Shar.
“It’s a godsend, godsend, couldn’t wait for it to happen,” says Ron Anderson, their son who took them to get the booster shot.
The Andersons have raised a close knit family and the thought of finally being able to hug and kiss their grandchildren soon means the world to them.
“We can live again, I guess, it’s been hell it really has,” says Shar as she breaks down in tears.
“It’s going to feel like a new day, a new dawn,” says Ernest, in his nineties, who says the virus would have been deadly for him because of his serious lung issues.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out guidelines that okay fully vaccinated people to gather indoors without masks or social distancing with other vaccinated people.
“When I say fully vaccinated I mean people who are two weeks after their second dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two weeks after a single dose of Johnson and Johnson vaccine,” says CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky.
The new guidelines also say fully vaccinated people can visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who aren’t high risk.
But Riverside County health officials say they’re not going to give that the thumbs up just yet.
Shane Reichardt, the senior public information officer for the Emergency Management Department says broad directives are always looked at closely by the county, “Different areas are seeing different impacts have to make the decisions on what’s best for their community we can be more restrictive than the state but we can’t be less restrictive so really we have to wait until we see what the state does with the CDC guidelines and then evaluate what’s going to best for Riverside County.”
Shar says it’s okay with her she’s seen too many friends die from this virus and she’s going to play it safe, “It’ll be like living again for sure yes but I‘m still going to wear a mask for a while and I want all my friends to wear a mask take the precautions.”
Arnold Romero from Coachella was relieved to get his second dose too, he says he can’t wait to hug his family, “I haven’t seen them in over a year, I can finally visit my family.”
Dorothy and Tommy Tate from Indio have family on their minds too as they get their second dose.
“I really miss them so much, I miss seeing my family,” says Dorothy.
But they’ve been keeping themselves informed and heard about the variants and know even though the chances are small, they can still pass on the virus to people who are not protected. They’re choosing to keep the precautions until more people in their family get vaccinated.
“I want to protect myself and my family so I’m going to wait,” says Tommy.
They’re looking forward to the day they get to hug their grandchildren.
“I’m going to be elated, ecstatic, I can’t wait, I‘ll cry, I know, I‘ll cry,” says Dorothy.
The CDC guidelines for vaccinated people posted on their website include:
Fully vaccinated people can:
- Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
- Refrain from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic
For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:
- Take precautions in public like wearing a well-fitted mask and physical distancing
- Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease or who have an unvaccinated household member who is at increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease
- Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other prevention measures when visiting with unvaccinated people from multiple households
- Avoid medium- and large-sized in-person gatherings
- Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
- Follow guidance issued by individual employers
- Follow CDC and health department travel requirements and recommendations
For more information click here: CDC GUIDELINES FOR VACCINATED PEOPLE
