JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s the first weekend since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced its new guidelines that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks. However, if you’re partially vaccinated, medical experts say you should continue to wear masks indoors.
Businesses and bargoers are excited about the changes. They told Action News Jax, “it’s about time” fully vaccinated people can say goodbye to their masks, and that a return to normalcy feels closer than ever.
Kamalakar Shyali said ever since he got vaccinated, he’s been more comfortable being out. He’s one of over 280,000 fully vaccinated people in Duval County. Even with the shot, he keeps his mask handy.
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“Still got my mask in my pocket, if it’s mandatory for me to wear it, I do respect it,” he said. “But me being vaccinated, I feel safe to be around people.”
The CDC announced Thursday fully vaccinated people can be mask-free in outdoor crowds and most indoor places.
Beach bars like The Wreck Tiki Lounge say with Memorial Day weekend coming up soon, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
“You could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and right now we are past that tunnel,” owner Fernando Meza said. “Things are looking good, people are going back out and spending money, and that’s what we need.”
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According to the Florida Department of Health, just under 7.5 million people in the state are fully vaccinated.
Stephani Thurston says she wears masks when she has to, but with the mask mandate lifted for those with the shot, she’s hoping life can pick up the pace on returning to normal.
“It’s slowly progressed to coming back, everybody started trickling in and it got better and better,” she said.
As for Shyali, he hopes more people continue to get the vaccine and keep others safe.
“At the end of the day, it’s your choice, and unfortunately that choice can affect others,” he said.
Meza told Action News Jax the beginning of this pandemic was incredibly tough on all the businesses around the area, but said sales have been good and that he can only see it getting better from here.