Fully vaccinated Americans can resume travel, updated CDC guidance states
- by Leland Aguilar
- in Entertaiment
- — Apr 3, 2021
For fully vaccinated Americans, this updated CDC guidance relieves much of the stress that comes with incorporating COVID-19 restrictions into travel plans.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday the new guidance is based on studies showing the "real-world" effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines on transmission.
For global travel, the agency says vaccinated people do not need to get a COVID-19 test before leaving, though some destinations may require it.
The CDC is only recommending testing for travelers who are returning to the USA from worldwide travel - keeping in place an order it announced in mid-January that requires all US-bound passengers to present a negative COVID-19 test before boarding.
They were released as travel is picking up again in the USA, especially due to spring break and Easter trips, after all but shutting down completely in the early months of the pandemic. A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose of vaccine. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses given a few weeks apart.
"We haven't changed our guidance for nonessential travel at all". If they do travel, the agency says to get tested one to three days before the trip, and three to five days after.
Some travel guidance remains unchanged.
Meanwhile, nothing has changed for travelers who are not fully vaccinated.
Airlines do not require COVID-19 tests or proof of vaccination for travel in the U.S. The agency noted the potential introduction of virus variants and differences in vaccine coverage around the world for the cautious guidance on overseas travel.
The CDC continues to advise anyone who hasn't been fully vaccinated to avoid traveling, but if it is necessary for those people to travel, the CDC recommends they be tested one to three days before travel and then once more three to five days after returning home.
The report also noted that almost 1.6 million passengers boarded domestic flights on Sunday, which was the most on any day since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
The CDC has said it will continue to update guidance about how to socialize, travel and return to workplaces as more Americans get vaccinated.
Despite previous warnings against travel from the CDC, the Transportation Security Administration has continued to see a considerable uptick in passengers as the vaccine rollout grows.
The agency has said it would update its guidance on allowed activities for vaccinated people as more people get the shots and evidence mounts about the protection they provide.
