ATLANTA — The CDC's latest guidance on masks has left many confused on whether to mask up or not. But for the more than half of Georgians who remain unvaccinated, experts say things remain largely unchanged.
Georgia only just hit 34% fully vaccinated as of yesterday, and the state still holds one of the lowest vaccination rates in the county according to the White House's latest rankings. This comes as President Joe Biden pushes to get 70% of Americans vaccinated by Independence Day.
However, experts say if Georgia's current vaccination pace continues - it's not unlikely that the state could reach 70% even by the end of the year.
"The vaccinations have really slowed down in Georgia, despite the heroic efforts of vaccinators to bring vaccines to those where they need them. We still have people in the wait and see category," said microbiologist Dr. Amber Schmidtke.
According to the CDC's latest mask guidance, fully vaccinated people can return to activities that they did prior to the pandemic without a mask unless an individual business or federal mandate says otherwise.
The CDC recommends that unvaccinated residents wear a mask in public settings and around people they do not live with. However, they can go outdoors with members of their household without wearing a mask.
Meanwhile, experts say that while data shows many Georgians are holding off on getting a vaccine - there's hope that full FDA approval of Moderna and Pfizer could improve confidence in the vaccine.
“I think that that will provide a lot of reassurance for the people that were like I just want to see how this goes," Schmidtke said.
On Monday, Governor Brian Kemp lifted all remaining pandemic restrictions for restaurants, bars, live performance venues, and childcare facilities. However, individual businesses can still implement their own safety measures including social distancing and requiring both staff and patrons to wear masks.