Fully vaccinated people can gather unmasked and indoors for Easter, CDC says
- by Grant Boone
- in Sports
- — Apr 2, 2021
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the USA without getting tested for the coronavirus or going into quarantine afterward.
Domestic travelers who are fully vaccinated - meaning two weeks have passed since their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna shot or their one and only Johnson & Johnson shot - do not need to self-quarantine upon arriving at their destination and "do not need to get tested before or after travel unless their destination requires it", according to the CDC.
Vaccinated travelers can go overseas without getting a Covid-19 test before travel unless it is required by the global destination, the new guidelines say. For worldwide travel, they don't need a test unless it's required by their destination country and don't need to quarantine once back in the USA, but should get tested before boarding their return flight.
Officials updated their website on Friday to reflect the latest scientific evidence, writing that "people who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the United States". It said fully vaccinated people can gather privately together without masks, or visit one un-vaccinated household - such as vaccinated grandparents visiting the home of a child and grandchildren. At the time, the CDC didn't change its travel recommendations. They must either get tested 3-5 days after they return and self-quarantine for 7 days, or self-quarantine for 10 days with no test. However, all air passengers coming into the US must have a negative coronavirus test result from no more than three days before their travel date.
Unvaccinated people are still advised to avoid unnecessary travel.
Covid-19 cases have started rising again in the US, with 79,000 new cases recorded on Thursday.
The U.S. began its vaccine rollout in mid-December.
