WASHINGTON — It's not unusual for current and former presidents to kick back in each other's company, but when 46 visited 39, one photo made the meeting a national spectacle.
A White House photo of President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visiting former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter in the Carters' home in Plains, Georgia, went viral on social media.
Snapped on April 30, 2021, the photo portrays the Bidens as larger than life, towering over the Carters.
And while the photo gave some people a good laugh, a good puzzle, and low-hanging conspiracy theory material, it also gave some an opportunity to ridicule COVID recommendations.
THE QUESTION:
Are the Bidens breaking CDC recommendations by visiting Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter indoors without masks?
THE ANSWER:
According to CDC recommendations, if all parties are fully vaccinated (at least two weeks after the final dose) it is safe to gather indoors.
Both former President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, are fully vaccinated.
OUR SOURCES:
- Photos of the Carters getting vaccinated featured in a national ad campaign- Ad Council YouTube
- CDC website- "When You've Been Fully Vaccinated" and "Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People"
WHAT WE FOUND:
The president did not break CDC COVID recommendations by visiting the Carters indoors, without a mask.
Fully vaccinated individuals are safe to visit with other people who are fully vaccinated indoors without wearing a mask and without staying six feet apart, according to CDC guidance. This guidance was established before the Bidens' visit on April 30.
On Dec. 17, 2020, The Carter Center, a humanitarian nonprofit founded by the former president and his wife, issued a statement that the couple planned to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
"Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, said today that they are in full support of COVID-19 vaccine efforts and encourage everyone who is eligible to get immunized as soon as it becomes available in their communities," the statement read.
Photos of the pair getting vaccinated were featured in an Ad Council campaign in March.
The ad ended with a smiling picture of former President Carter holding up his CDC vaccine card, with the date "12/31/20" marking his first dose.
Depending on whether he received the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, he would have been fully vaccinated, at the earliest, on Feb. 4 or Feb. 11.