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Fully vaccinated Americans can resume travel, updated CDC guidance states

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The CDC has updated their guidance for fully vaccinated Americans and now says they can now resume travel with low risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19.

Masks are still recommended, along with social distancing and other precautions.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday the new guidance is based on studies showing the “real-world” effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines on transmission.

The updated guidance also means travelers who are fully-vaccinated no longer need to get a COVID-19 test before and after travel, unless it is still required by the destination or airline.

International travelers are still required to show a negative COVID-19 test to board a flight heading to the United States, and are recommended to get another test three to five days after returning.

“Fully vaccinated” is two weeks after receiving the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, or two weeks after receiving the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

For those who are not considered fully-vaccinated, the CDC’s guidance remains to limit travel to necessary trips only, get tested one to three days before a trip and three to five days after a trip, and quarantining before and after the trip.

These are recommendations and millions of travelers have flown in the last several weeks, according to the TSA. Transportation Safety Administration’s numbers show more than 1 million passengers have passed through airport security nearly every day in March.

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