On May 13th the CDC rolled out new guidelines for masks in the United States which stated that fully vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks indoors or outdoors with a few exceptions. This announcement came as a relief for many who felt that wearing a mask as a vaccinated person no longer serves a purpose.

“If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask…get vaccinated — or wear a mask until you do,” said President Joe Biden in an address given at the Rose Garden. The CDC and many government officials believe these new mask guidelines will go a long way in encouraging people to get a vaccine if they’re eligible.

Despite the new rules, there’s much uncertainty about the logistics of masks vs. no masks. Many of the mask rules require businesses to default to the local rules, and in the case of high school sports, masks still fall under OSAA guidelines. Currently, athletes have to wear masks to compete, even if they are vaccinated, although many speculate this rule will change soon. 

Businesses are having a tough time letting vaccinated people drop their masks, given continued uncertainty as to whether they’re allowed to ask to see someone’s vaccination card in order to approve them not to wear a mask. While some believe this request violates HIPAA regulations, it has been clarified by many legal experts to be perfectly OK. 

In Wilsonville, the RAM has signs saying that if you’re vaccinated you don’t need to wear a mask, but they have not been checking cards to verify this. At Edge Family Fitness, you can be approved not to wear a mask if you show proof of vaccination at the front desk. In light of these new rules, I believe many businesses will move to a “unmaskinated if you’re vaccinated” system if they can verify proof of vaccination.