SAN ANTONIO – The city of San Antonio has announced that beginning Monday, masks and social distancing will be optional for fully vaccinated staff and clients at city facilities.
The announcement comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday new guidelines for mask wearing and social distancing for people who are fully vaccinated.
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Officials said the city will discontinue temperature checks at city facility entrances. However, if a person is experiencing symptoms, they should not enter city facilities, officials said.
“I remain committed to ensuring the health and safety of our city staff and our customers,” City Manager Erik Walsh said in a release. “It’s easier than ever to receive a no-cost COVID-19 vaccine. Being able to return to normal activities is just one more incentive to getting vaccinated. Do it for you. Do it for our frontline workers. Do it for San Antonio.”
City officials said the CDC’s guidelines indicate that people who are fully vaccinated can resume normal activities without wearing a mask or maintaining six feet of physical distance from others, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, territorial laws, rules and regulations, including those set by local businesses and workplaces. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second Pfizer and Moderna dose or two weeks after their single Johnson and Johnson dose.
The CDC also recommends that children who are not fully vaccinated continue to wear a mask. City officials said children under the age of 10 are not required to wear masks inside city facilities.
According to the city of San Antonio, over the past several months, COVID-19 indicators have “continuously moved in the right direction and are currently showing the lowest risk level (’Safe’) for transmission of the coronavirus.”
“We know the COVID-19 vaccine is incredibly effective,” Assistant City Manager Dr. Colleen Bridger said in a release. “There are nearly one million residents in Bexar County vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and with the prevalence of the virus low it makes sense to make this change now.”
Beginning June 14, all city departments will resume normal operations with signage that states that unvaccinated people are required to wear masks and that those feeling ill should stay or go home, city officials said. City facilities will operate at 100% occupancy and with normal operations as deemed appropriate, according to the city.
Click here to learn about pop-up vaccine clinic locations and dates, along with more vaccine information.
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