CDC Allows Travel for Fully Vaccinated Americans

  Domestic and international travel is now safe for Americans who wait two weeks after their second shot of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, or after the one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in new guidance.

     In addition, fully vaccinated Americans no longer must provide negative COVID tests, nor quarantine after traveling, now that recent research has revealed that those who are vaccinated have low risk of infection with the virus, the CDC said.

     Although many Americans, one-third of whom have received at least one vaccine dose, will be happy to hit the road after a year at home, the CDC added that travelers must still wear masks when traveling on airplanes and other public transportation.

     The CDC is keeping in place its mid-January recommendation that all passengers travelling inbound to the U.S., however, provide negative COVID-tests before boarding airplanes.

     Americans who travel internationally still need to follow the guidelines, including testing and quarantining, that are set by other countries.

   Despite loosening its restrictions on travel, CDC is not "recommending" travel at this time due to the rising number of cases and the emergence of COVID variants, said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, who added that unvaccinated people avoid all nonessential travel.

(Photo: Don Pollard/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)