Americans who have been fully vaccinated can start traveling safely again, according to new guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The guidance says that “fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to obtain and spread COVID-19. “
“People who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the United States,” says the CDC website. He goes on to say that travelers who are fully vaccinated do not need to be tested before or after their trip, unless the destination requires it. They also don’t need self-quarantine.
“For example, fully vaccinated grandparents can fly to visit their healthy grandchildren without taking a COVID-19 test, or self-quarantine, as long as they follow the other recommended prevention measures,” said CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky , at a briefing at the White House on Friday.
The new guideline urges Americans to postpone international travel until they are fully vaccinated, and Walensky said that fully vaccinated people traveling internationally should still be tested three to five days after arriving in the U.S. on an international flight.
She noted that the CDC continues to advise that “all travelers, regardless of vaccination status, should continue to wear masks on airplanes, buses, trains and other forms of public transport, while traveling.” The CDC also recommends that travelers maintain social distance and wash their hands “frequently” or use hand sanitizer.
The updates mark the first major revisions to the CDC’s guidance for what fully vaccinated Americans can do since they were first announced last month, a sign of hope for a return to normal life announced by widespread immunity.
For now, however, Walensky stated that “the CDC is not recommending travel at this time due to the increasing number of cases” In the USA
“I want to recognize today that providing guidance in the midst of a changing pandemic, and its changing science, is complex. On the one hand, we are saying that we are concerned with increasing cases, wearing a mask and avoiding travel. On the other hand On the other hand, we’re saying that if you get vaccinated, the evolving data suggests that traveling is probably less risky, “she said.
After a decline of months of cases across the country after the winter holidays, the spread of COVID-19 has increased once again across the country. Four out of ten counties in the United States are now in the agency’s “red zone”, indicating high transmission in the community.
The CDC also warned of highly transmissible variants that often spread during travel. The B.1.1.7 strain, first identified in the UK, is now “prevalent” over a wide range of the USA from New York to Texas, a CDC spokesman said Friday.
“In terms of travel, here’s what we know: every time there is an increase in travel, we have an increase in cases in this country,” said Walensky last month when asked why the agency has not yet loosened its recommendations for complete vaccination. . “We know that many of our variants have come from international places and we know that the travel corridor is a place where people mix a lot.”
A week ago, Walensky said he had a feeling of “impending doom”, warning that the number of infections, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 were increasing.
Asked if she still had that feeling, Walensky replied, “I still worry about the fact that, with 80% of the population not vaccinated, we still have a lot of work to do to control this pandemic.”
At Friday’s press conference, federal health officials pointed to promising real-world evidence suggesting that the three COVID-19 vaccines currently allowed for use in the United States – from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson – appear to remain highly effective, despite of worrying new strains.
“So the final message is that vaccines work very well in the real world environment. They work against variants, although we need more data to confirm that they are durable for at least six months and work for teenagers,” said the Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical advisor, told reporters.
“A very, very good reason for everyone to be vaccinated as soon as it is available to you,” added Fauci.