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People fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can travel freely in the United States, as long as they remain masked on planes, buses and trains, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday.
We do not know what impact the new directions will have. People are already traveling and making decisions for themselves. American Airlines reported on Monday that the company’s bookings had climbed to 90% of what they were before the pandemic.
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The new guidelines mean that “fully immunized grandparents can fly to visit their healthy grandchildren without taking a COVID-19 test, or self-quarantining, provided they follow others Recommended preventive measures, “CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a report on Friday.
Yet the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise. The current seven-day average of new cases is just over 62,000 cases per day.
While fully vaccinated people can travel at low risk, Walensky said: “The CDC does not recommend traveling at this time due to the growing number of cases.”
The United States is expected to surpass the 100 million people who received at least one dose of the vaccine on Friday. More than 56 million Americans are fully immunized, according to the CDC.
A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their last dose of COVID-19 vaccine. This gives the body enough time to make antibodies against the virus.
These latest recommendations offer another step towards resuming normal activity for those who have received both doses of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna injections or an injection of Johnson & Johnson’s single dose vaccine.
Related: Americans who don’t want to get shot, but want the privilege of showing a card, may be tempted to get a fake.
The CDC has said COVID-19 testing is no longer necessary for people fully vaccinated before or after travel to the United States, and that it is not necessary for them to self-quarantine. The guidelines do not mention whether people need proof of vaccination to travel, although no US airline currently requires such documentation.
The same rules apply to vaccinated people traveling abroad, with a few exceptions. Some destination countries may require a negative COVID-19 test for entry. And the CDC recommends people test negative before returning to the United States
And the mitigation measures remain even for vaccinated travelers: wear masks, avoid large crowds, and wash your hands frequently.
Related: TODAY, Asked Viewers What They Want The Most Once The Coronavirus Pandemic Ends.
Indeed, all US airlines still require passengers to wear masks.
“Taking preventative measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 is the way out of this pandemic,” Walensky said.
The CDC has slowly offered advice on what people can do once fully immunized. In early March, the agency said they could safely assemble with small groups from other households without wearing masks or moving away physically, even though those people have not yet been vaccinated.
This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.
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