Quarantine, masks, and social distance after vaccination
It takes about two weeks after getting vaccinated for your body to build up protection against COVID-19 to help protect you from getting sick. There is still a small chance that you could get infected and become sick even after being vaccinated. The risk of this is higher when there are high levels of COVID-19 disease spread in the community. This risk will come down as more people are vaccinated and we see less COVID-19 disease in the community.
If someone has completed COVID-19 vaccination (two doses in a two-dose series or one dose in a one-dose series) and is exposed, they do not need to quarantine if ALL of the following are true:
The COVID-19 exposure was at least 14 days after their vaccination series was fully completed.
The COVID-19 exposure was within 90 days of their final dose of the vaccination series.
They do not currently have any symptoms of COVID-19.
People who live or work in a health care or long-term care facility, have been vaccinated, and have a COVID-19 exposure should refer to COVID-19 Recommendations for Health Care Workers (PDF).
While the evidence shows the available vaccines are safe and effective at preventing you from getting sick with COVID-19, we do not have enough information yet to know whether someone who was vaccinated can still get infected and without developing symptoms spread COVID-19 to others. Additionally, we are still learning about how well the vaccine works among people who have a weakened immune system.
To get COVID-19 under control, in addition to getting vaccinated, everyone should continue to wear a mask, stay 6 feet from others, wash their hands, and get tested for COVID-19 when needed. It is important to continue to follow public health guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19 even after you have been vaccinated. Refer to CDC: Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19 Vaccination.
We will continue to evaluate these recommendations as more people in the community get vaccinated and we see how this impacts spread of disease.
Gatherings after vaccination
When you and those you might get together with are all vaccinated, it is likely that the risk of spreading the disease to each other is small. But, we are not quite there yet—we want to be extra cautious right now while there is still so much COVID-19 disease in the community, and we are learning about protection against the COVID-19 virus variants.
CDC states that it is important to continue to follow all public health guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19 even after you have been vaccinated: Frequently Asked Questions About COVID-19 Vaccination.
Also, remember, Minnesota still has a face covering requirement. This means there are some places that you are required to wear a face covering and it does not include exemptions for vaccinated people. Under Executive Order 20-81, people are required to wear face coverings in certain public spaces. For more information about face covering requirements and recommendations under Executive Order 20-81, visit Face Covering Requirements and Recommendations.
We will continue to evaluate these recommendations as more people in the community get vaccinated and we see how this impacts spread of disease.