CA Relaxes 120-Mile Travel Advisory Amid Rising Vaccinations

CALIFORNIA — The Golden State lifted a statewide travel advisory on Thursday that previously recommended that Californians not travel more than 120 miles from home. But the state is still urging residents to avoid non-essential travel outside of California.

California's initial travel advisory came down on Jan. 6, amid a devastating winter surge of coronavirus cases in the state. And even as cases remain low and vaccinations rise, state officials are still asking residents to mitigate spread "until we can achieve higher levels of vaccination in California and beyond," according to updated guidance from the California Department of Public Health.

As of Friday, the state had administered more than 18,862,091 vaccine shots. There are just shy of 40 million residents in California. On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom continued to urge residents to get a vaccine as the eligibility pool expanded to those over 50 this week.

"We're not going to get herd immunity, we're not going to get back that symbol to normalcy unless we get more people vaccinated," he said at a news conference in San Diego. Newsom himself became eligible this week and received the Johnson & Johnson shot Thursday.

California on Thursday modified the January advisory to ask travelers — even those who are vaccinated — to get a coronavirus test 1-3 days before departure, to quarantine for seven days after travel even if a test comes back negative, and to isolate if a test comes back positive or if any symptoms arise.

None-essential travelers who do not get tested should stay home and self-quarantine, the state said.

The news comes a day before The Centers for Disease Control announced that fully vaccinated people could resume travel following newly released studies that show the vaccine's effectiveness.

More than 100 million Americans have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to The Washington Post.

On Friday the CDC released the following updated guidance:

• Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread COVID-19.
• People who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the United States:
  • Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to get tested before or after travel unless their destination requires it
  • Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to self-quarantine
• Fully vaccinated travelers should still follow CDC’s recommendations for traveling safely including:
  • Wear a mask over your nose and mouth
  • Stay 6 feet from others and avoid crowds
  • Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer.

Still, federal officials are urging Americans to avoid travel for a while longer.

"I would advocate against general travel overall," said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky at a White House conference on Friday, The Washington Post reported. "...we must balance the science with the fact that most Americans are not yet fully vaccinated, which is likely contributing to a rise in cases."

Although case rates have remained relatively low in California, federal officials warned earlier this week that evidence of a surge was growing in other states.

The seven-day average of daily new cases across the country was just shy of 60,000, a 10 percent increase compared to the previous week, Walensky said earlier this week.

"We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are, and so much reason for hope, but right now I'm scared," Walensky said.

President Joe Biden also urged states to pause reopening plans and pleaded with some states to reinstate mask mandates — perhaps his most direct call on governors to roll back loosening restrictions.

"This is not a time to lessen our efforts," Biden said Monday. "We could still see a setback in the vaccination program. And most importantly, if we let our guard down now, we could see a virus getting worse, not better."

READ MORE:

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• 13 California Counties May Open Up Even More, State Says
• CA Gears Up For Vaccine Eligibility Expansion Amid Supply Crisis