MIAMI, Fla. — With the CDC now saying it’s OK for vaccinated people to drop the mask and social distancing in most situations, you may be wondering what that means if you’re planning to go to a group worship service.
To find out more for you, we checked in with an infectious disease specialist, Dr. Amy Wecker, who used to practice medicine in Southwest Florida before moving to Miami.
She’s currently with the Medical Health Institute in Miami.
We started with a question about whether it’s a good idea to wear a mask at indoor services if you’re still unvaccinated.
Below is an edited transcript of our conversation.
DR. AMY WECKER/MEDICAL HEALTH INSTITUTE: I believe, especially if you're doing a lot of singing, that masks are probably for the best (if you’re unvaccinated.)
WFTX: Any other places, that you think are like a good idea just in case to keep the mask on and maintain the social distancing (if you’re unvaccinated?)
DR. AMY WECKER/MEDICAL HEALTH INSTITUTE Enclosed spaces, I think any store, of course, medical offices, hospitals, I think outdoors though, you're OK to go mask-less.
WFTX: For a lot of people it almost feels like a security blanket, to keep that mask going and the social distancing, after all, it's not going to hurt anything. What would you say to folk who might be struggling with some of these - transitional guidelines?
DR. AMY WECKER/MEDICAL HEALTH INSTITUTE: Well it definitely is scary because we've been told for a long time now, you can get Covid, and you can die and people are afraid. And it's all legitimate. But it turns out when you really look at the data, it's only .1% of people that have gotten Covid from being outdoors.
WFTX: Is there anything else you want to say that we didn't ask about that you think people should keep in mind on this topic?
DR. AMY WECKER/MEDICAL HEALTH INSTITUTE: I think it's really just been a tough year, for everybody. And I think everybody who knows somebody who was affected by Covid, however sick they got or didn't get. Most of know someone who did sick. A lot of us have had Loved Ones die. It's scary. This kind of unknown virus came out nowhere, and really completely changed our lives. But we have to move forward. We don't want to spend the rest of our lives, wearing masks. We want to go back to a social society we are a social species. We need to interact with each other. We need to touch each other. These things are medicine for our soul. So I really encourage everyone to get vaccinated soon we can be mask-less. So we can touch each other and love each other again like we used to.
