New Jersey is changing its travel and quarantine guidelines to reflect new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Governor Phil Murphy said in his coronavirus briefing on Monday.
“New Jersey is no longer advising fully vaccinated individuals who travel internally to self-quarantine after the trip or to be tested before or after the trip,” said Murphy. “The federal requirement for testing on returning to the United States following international air travel booths.”
All travelers still need to take care of the COVID-19, including wearing a mask, avoiding crowds, walking away and washing hands during the trip, said health commissioner Judy Persichilli.
She said that guidance for unvaccinated travelers has not changed. They must postpone the trip until the vaccination is complete. If they need to travel, they should have a viral test one to three days before the trip and three to five days after the trip.
“It is recommended that they stay at home and be quarantined for seven full days after the trip, even if the post-trip test is negative,” she said. “If they are not tested after the trip, they should stay at home and be in quarantine for 10 days after the trip.”
Persichilli said that international travel poses additional risks.
“Even fully vaccinated travelers are at greater risk of obtaining and possibly spreading the new variants of COVID-19,” she said.
Fully vaccinated people traveling abroad do not need to be tested on departure, unless required by the country of destination, she said.
But returning to the United States is different, she said.
“The federal government requires that fully vaccinated travelers from abroad to the US have a negative COVID-19 viral test within three days of travel, or COVID-19 recovery documentation in the last three months before boarding a flight to the USA, ”said Persichilli. Travelers should be tested again for COVID-19 three to five days after the trip, she said.
Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to be quarantined after international travel, she said.
Unvaccinated international travelers should follow the same testing guidelines, but they should also quarantine for seven days, even if the test is negative, the CDC said.
Before loosening restrictions. New Jerseyans, returning from travel to any state or territory in the U.S. beyond the immediate region, which included New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Delaware, were forced to self-quarantine at their home or hotel.
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Karin Price Mueller can be contacted at [email protected].