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People fully vaccinated against the coronavirus can travel safely to the United States without being tested or quarantined, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday.
However, travelers should continue to wear masks, practice social distancing and wash their hands whether or not they are fully vaccinated, the agency said.
The CDC updated its travel guidelines on Friday, saying: “Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to contract and spread COVID-19.” The agency said if a destination requires testing, fully vaccinated travelers should still meet the destination’s requirements.
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Fully vaccinated travelers should also continue to self-monitor for symptoms of the coronavirus, self-isolate if they develop such symptoms and follow all state and local requirements, according to the CDC.
People fully vaccinated against the coronavirus can now travel safely to the United States without quarantining themselves or being tested, the CDC said on Friday. (iStock)
People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after their Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Travelers who are only partially vaccinated, or who have not reached the two-week mark after their last dose, should continue to follow the CDC’s recommendations for unvaccinated people.
TSA WRITINGS OVER 1M PASSENGERS PER DAY FOR 19 FOLLOW-UP DAYS
Even before the CDC’s guidelines were updated, Americans were already returning to travel.
Earlier this week, data from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) showed the agency screened more than one million travelers every day for 19 consecutive days. This trend continued for 22 days from Thursday, marking the most prolonged travel rebound since the pandemic began more than a year ago.
Airlines have also seen an increase in demand. American Airlines told AP on Monday that reservations were almost back to pre-pandemic levels; other airlines, including Southwest and Delta, said their bookings started increasing in mid-February.
CDC GUIDELINES FOR COVID-19 VACCINATED POPULATION SUPPORTED BY TOP HEALTH EXPERTS
Last month, the CDC said fully vaccinated people may also begin to congregate indoors without a mask with other fully vaccinated people. The agency further suggested that vaccinated individuals intermingling indoors with unvaccinated individuals considered to be at low risk of severe COVID-19 infection are at low risk.
However, the CDC has advised all Americans to avoid large indoor gatherings and wear masks in public and high-risk places, regardless of vaccination status.
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These recommendations have been endorsed by health experts.
“This advice is really thought out,” Dr. Anne Liu, an infectious disease physician at Stanford Health Care, wrote to Fox News last month. “It balances removing certain precautions in low-risk conditions while maintaining them in public and high-risk situations.”
Kayla Rivas of Fox News contributed to this report.
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