CDC Eases Domestic Travel Restrictions For Vaccinated Americans

ATLANTA, GA — People who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus are free to travel around the country as long as they continue to wear face masks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

Until Friday, the CDC had discouraged Americans against unnecessary travel by plane, bus or train. It has now released a new set of travel guidelines:

• 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 self-quarantine
• Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to get tested before or after travel unless their destination requires it
• 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

The new guidance means that "fully vaccinated grandparents can fly to visit their healthy grandkids without getting a Covid-19 test or self-quarantining, provided they follow the other recommended prevention measures," CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday during a news briefing.

She added, however, that the CDC isn't going so far as to recommend travel with cases of coronavirus on the rise throughout the country. And health officials are advising those who have not been fully vaccinated to remain at home.

As for traveling out of the United States, Walensky said it depends on the destination.

The CDC have given countries one of four designations ranging from Level 4: COVID-19 Very High to Level 1: COVID-19 Low.

Among the countries the CDC does not recommend visiting are Austria, Portugal, Peru, Denmark, Costa Rica, Jordan, Jamaica, Italy, Ireland, Turkey, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Honduras, Germany, Saudi Arabia, France, Finland, Egypt, Russia, Poland, Cuba, Panama, Norway, Colombia, Canada, Brazil, Monaco, Mexico, Barbados and Belgium.

In low-risk countries, the CDC said travelers should wear masks, social distance, avoid crowds, wash their hands often and use sanitizer.

Low-risk countries include the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands, New Zeland, Australia, Uganda, China, Vietnam, Fiji, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Cambodia.

Click here to see the designations for all countries.

It's still unclear what impact the CDC's new guidelines will have on the travel industry, which has reported major economic losses during the pandemic.

The Analysis by Tourism Economics said travel spending in 2020 was down 42 percent from 2019 with international travel (76 percent) and business travel (70 percent) suffering the sharpest declines.

The American Hotel and Lodging Association tweeted this response to the CDC's announcement.

"Today, @CDC_gov announced fully vaccinated Americans may resume travel. @AHLA applauds this announcement and looks forward to working with legislators on policies that protect Americans and restore our industry."

“The pandemic has been devastating to the hospitality industry workforce, wiping out 10 years of hotel job growth,” said AHLA President Cecil P. Staton. “Twenty percent of leisure and hospitality jobs—3.5 million in total—have been lost during the pandemic and have yet to return, and the unemployment rate in the hospitality and tourism sector remains 300 percent higher than the rest of the economy. With hotels expected to end 2021 down 500,000 direct jobs, an additional 1.3 million hotel-supported jobs are also in jeopardy without additional support.”

Staton said he hopes this is the first of many steps toward reviving the country's travel industry, noting that the CDC is still resisting the resumption of cruises from U.S. ports.

"Travel and tourism are critical drivers of the U.S. economy, generating $2.6 trillion in economic output and supporting one in 10 American jobs," he said.

See related story: FL Governor Threatens To Sue CDC Over Closed Cruise Ship Ports