People who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus can travel without exposing themselves to a serious risk, as long as they wear masks and take other precautions, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday, moderating their general stance against travel, although continuing to discourage them.
The new orientation comes as studies show that Covid-19 vaccines have been effective in real-world conditions in reducing the risk of infections with or without symptoms.
Despite the CDC’s determination that traveling is a low-risk activity for people who have been vaccinated, authorities still advise against it, as cases of Covid-19 increase in the U.S.
“It is our responsibility at the CDC to examine the evolving evidence of what a lower risk is when you are fully vaccinated,” said CDC director Rochelle Walensky on Friday. But as the majority of the population has not yet been vaccinated and cases are on the rise, “I would advocate against travel in general in general,” she said.
The CDC last month relaxed some of its safety guidelines for inoculated individuals, but continued to warn against unnecessary travel. Dr. Walensky urged people to avoid non-essential travel in the past few weeks, citing increases in the number of cases that followed vacation periods when travel increased.