The United States. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday updated its travel guidance for fully vaccinated people.

According to the updated travel guidance, CDC recommended that “fully vaccinated people can travel at low risk to themselves” based on the evaluation of recent studies.

A person is considered fully vaccinated against Covid-19 two weeks after receiving the last recommended dose of an FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved vaccine.

As per the new guidance, fully vaccinated people can travel within the US without requiring testing or post-travel self-quarantine as long as they continue to take precautions against Covid-19 while travelling. This includes “wearing a mask, avoiding crowds, socially distancing, and washing hands frequently.”

“With millions of Americans getting vaccinated every day, it is important to update the public on the latest science about what fully vaccinated people can do safely, now including guidance on safe travel,” said CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky.

“We continue to encourage every American to get vaccinated as soon as it’s their turn, so we can begin to safely take steps back to our everyday lives,” added Walensky.

CDC further said that fully vaccinated people can travel internationally without getting a Covid-19 test before travel unless it is required by the international destination. They can also avoid self-quarantine after returning to the US unless required by a state or local jurisdiction.

However, they must still have a negative Covid-19 test result before they board a flight to the US and get a Covid-19 test 3 to 5 days after returning from international travel.

CDC further emphasised taking precautions even while travelling internationally.

As for the existing guidance for people who are not fully vaccinated, it does not change the agency’s existing guidance for such people.

“Unvaccinated travellers should still get tested 1-3 days before domestic travel and again 3-5 days after travel. They should stay home and self-quarantine for 7 days after travel or 10 days if they don’t get tested at the conclusion of travel,” it said.

The agency further discouraged people who are not fully vaccinated from non-essential domestic travel.

The US has reported over 30.6 million Covid-19 cases so far with 68,844 new cases reported on April 2. The death toll is at 53,554, as per data from the New York Times.

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Published on April 3, 2021