Fully vaccinated individuals in the United States can travel safely without quarantine or pre-travel Covid-19 testing, according to updated guidance released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday.
For domestic travel, the CDC said fully vaccinated travelers—those who have had a full series of an approved vaccine at least two weeks prior—"can travel safely within the United States" and have no need to self-quarantine or test for Covid-19 either before or after travel unless their destination requires it. This updates guidance from early March, which said fully vaccinated people could safely gather together without masks but should still avoid travel.
The new guidance remains more cautious around international travel, noting that "even fully vaccinated travelers are at increased risk for getting and possibly spreading new Covid-19 variants." The requirement for inbound international travelers to have a negative Covid-19 test taken within three days of boarding a flight remain in place even for fully vaccinated travelers, and the guidance recommends another test three to five days after arrival in the United States.
However, the new guidance also said that fully vaccinated individuals do not need to test prior to international travel from the United States unless required by the destination and do not need to self-quarantine upon arrival unless they begin showing symptoms.
"The CDC's new travel guidance is a major step in the right direction that is supported by the science and will take the brakes off the industry that has been hardest hit by the fallout of Covid by far," U.S. Travel Association president and CEO Roger Dow said in a statement. "Acknowledging that vaccinations eliminate the need for testing and quarantines removes a key barrier to domestic travel. Rescinding the recommendation that international visitors must quarantine also is an important incremental step."
Travel Again co-founder and CEO Mike McCormick, whose organization aims to standardize global travel industry recovery efforts, in a statement called the new guidance "a very important milestone" and said he hoped it was a first step to clearer policies and standards around the world.
"Traveler confidence has begun to recover from historically low levels at the onset of the pandemic, but it remains one of the greatest hurdles in restoring travel activity," according to McCormick. "Clear guidance for travelers and tools for travel suppliers to support the process can help boost confidence and get travelers back on the road."
The CDC recommends that fully vaccinated travelers continue such precautions as wearing face coverings, social distancing and frequent hand washing while traveling, and the recommendation to avoid medium- and large-sized gatherings remains as well. It also recommends that those who are not fully vaccinated postpone both domestic and international travel until fully vaccinated.