CDC Relaxes Covid-19 Travel Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People
April 02 2021 - 2:40PM
Dow Jones News
By Alison Sider
People who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus can
travel without putting themselves at serious risk as long as they
wear masks and take other precautions, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention said Friday, moderating its blanket stance
against travel.
The shift comes as new studies have shown that Covid-19 vaccines
have been effective in real-world conditions at reducing the risk
of infections with or without symptoms.
The CDC last month relaxed some of its safety guidelines for
inoculated individuals, but continued to caution against
unnecessary trips. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has pleaded with
people to avoid nonessential travel in recent weeks, citing surges
in case numbers that have followed holiday periods when travel
picked up.
Despite the CDC's determination that travel is a low-risk
activity for people who have been vaccinated, officials still
advise against it as Covid-19 cases rise in the U.S.
"It's our responsibility at the CDC to look at the evolving
evidence of what is lower risk to do when you are fully
vaccinated," Dr. Walensky said Friday. But with the majority of the
population still not vaccinated and cases on the rise, "I would
advocate against general travel overall," she said.
Still, the CDC's stance hasn't been enough to contain what
airlines describe as pent-up demand for travel. Airports have been
bustling over spring break, with passenger volumes reaching their
highest levels in a year. Airlines say bookings have been climbing
as the pace of vaccinations ratcheted up in recent weeks. Some
airline executives have said that their domestic leisure business
is pretty much back to normal.
People resuming travel will find that the experience is getting
back to normal. Some of the steps airlines took early in the
pandemic, like providing snack bags instead of food and beverage
service and tweaking boarding procedures to foster social
distancing, are being phased out.
Delta Air Lines Inc. was the last major carrier keeping middle
seats open in coach cabins, but said this week it will start
selling full flights again in May to match rising demand as more
people have been vaccinated.
Major differences remain. Rules are still in place requiring
passengers to wear masks on nearly all forms of public
transportation, regardless of vaccination status. The FAA has said
it will continue its "zero tolerance" policy of sanctioning unruly
passengers, including those who refuse to wear masks.
Many international destinations remain closed, and tourist
travel between the U.S. and Europe is still severely limited. The
Biden administration isn't yet lifting restrictions that bar most
non-U.S. citizens who have recently been in most of Europe, China,
Brazil and South Africa.
Dr. Walensky said Friday that fully vaccinated people don't need
to get a Covid-19 test before or after domestic travel -- and don't
need to self-quarantine following travel. Travelers who have been
fully vaccinated also don't need to get tested prior to
international flights unless that is required by the destination,
and they don't need to self-quarantine when they return to the
U.S.
People will still be required to test negative for Covid-19 or
show proof of recovery from a recent infection before boarding any
international flight to the U.S. That requirement, put in place
earlier this year, applies to everyone flying to the U.S. from
abroad, including those who have been vaccinated. The CDC also
still recommends people get another test three to five days after
returning from abroad.
The CDC is sticking to recommendations that people who haven't
been fully vaccinated refrain from traveling altogether. If they
must travel, the CDC continues to advise that unvaccinated people
get tested before and after traveling and stay home and
self-quarantine for a period afterward. However, Covid-19 testing
isn't required before domestic flights.
Airlines had advocated for the CDC to update its guidance to
state that vaccinated people can travel safely, and groups
representing the U.S. travel industry and airports cheered the
change. "The CDC's new travel guidance is a major step in the right
direction," said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel
Association.
In a study published earlier this week, the CDC found that
Covid-19 vaccines from Moderna Inc. and from Pfizer Inc. and
partner BioNTech were 90% effective in reducing the risk of
infection two weeks after a second dose. The data indicated that
the vaccines are effective at reducing the risk of infections with
or without symptoms -- further evidence that vaccines can slow the
spread of the virus.
The CDC has said previously that fully vaccinated people can
gather indoors with others who are also fully vaccinated without
taking extra precautions. In addition, vaccinated people may gather
with one other unvaccinated family without masks and distancing as
long as the unvaccinated members are healthy and aren't at risk for
developing a more serious case of Covid-19.
But the CDC has urged fully vaccinated people to continue taking
precautions in public, in addition to medium or large private
gatherings.
"With so many people still unvaccinated, it is important that
everyone -- regardless of vaccination status -- continues to take
preventive measures in public and adhere to our guidance on
mitigation," Dr. Walensky said.
Write to Alison Sider at alison.sider@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 02, 2021 14:25 ET (18:25 GMT)
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