1. Vaccines: CDC says fully vaccinated people can gather inside without masks — The barriers to vaccine passports — U.S. ahead of pace on vaccines.
2. Health: Mississippi Gov. defends lifting mask mandate — Cities' struggle to balance homelessness and public safety.
3. Economy: U.S. economy added 379,000 jobs in February.
4. Politics: Senate passes $1.9 trillion COVID relief package.
5. Education: Senate COVID relief bill paves way for student debt forgiveness — New York City high schools to reopen on March 22.
6. World: U.K. schools to reopen with mass testing.

People who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can take fewer precautions in certain situations, including socializing indoors without masks when in the company of low-risk or other vaccinated individuals, according to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Monday.

Why it matters: Per the report, there's early evidence that suggests vaccinated people are less likely to have asymptomatic infection and are potentially less likely to transmit the virus to other people. At the time of its publication, the CDC said the guidance would apply to about 10% of Americans.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday that New York City's 488 public high schools will reopen for some in-person classes on March 22, after months of distance learning.

Why it matters: It's a key pandemic milestone for the biggest public school system in the country, which is made up largely of low-income and minority students, according to the New York Times.

The COVID Tracking Project, a volunteer group of data analysts, researchers, and journalists brought together by The Atlantic, published its final daily update on Monday — the first anniversary of its founding.

Why it matters: The project quickly became a vital resource for news media, academic researchers, and everyday Americans to track COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the absence of reliable and public data from the federal government.

Colorado is shifting the focus of its COVID-19 vaccine distribution to equity now that supply is increasing.

Why it matters: The new approach is designed to reach racial minorities hit hard by the coronavirus and rural areas with less access to care.

Minnesota is now releasing COVID-19 vaccination data by race and ethnicity — and there's work to be done to achieve equity in distribution.

Why it matters: While COVID-19 has sickened and killed people of color at higher rates than whites, early data shows members of many of those demographic groups aren't getting as much access to vaccinations.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said "the state was not involved" in helping to vaccinate 1,200 residents of the super-rich Ocean Reef community in January.

• But both the hospital system that supplied the doses and Monroe County have contradicted his claims, saying the state authorized the vaccines, the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald report.

Why it matters: DeSantis has faced increasing criticism for directing vaccines toward wealthy communities.

Some large employers are receiving permission from public health officials to vaccinate their employees at work, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Why it matters: This could remove barriers to getting the vaccine for some workers in high-risk industries. But it also increases the competition for shots while they're still scarce.

When Tampa's Barbara Thomas signed up to get her COVID-19 vaccine, she didn't think she'd be getting the shot six days after the virus killed her husband, Larry.

Why it matters: Her story is similarly playing out for hundreds of thousands of families nationwide who can never truly have a return to normal without those lost during the pandemic.

The verdict from Americans trying to get the COVID vaccine is in: the sign-up websites are awful.

Why it matters: Appointment systems are a vital part of getting Americans vaccinated, but a series of missed opportunities, at every level, left local governments scrambling. And the frustrating, confusing process now carries the risk that some people will simply give up.