What You Need to Know About Changes to CDC’s 14-Day Quarantine Travel Policy
One of the biggest changes to travel during COVID-19 is the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendation of a 14-day quarantine after your international travel or crossing state lines. Or it was until Friday, August 21, when the CDC updated its travel rules , quietly ditching the two-week quarantine recommendation. Does this mean that we can start traveling again as usual? No. Here’s what you need to know.
What does the updated CDC travel quarantine policy say?
Unlike many public health reports of COVID, there have been no major announcements of an updated CDC travel policy. Instead, the website was updated, and a few days later, news organizations (starting with USA Today ) began reporting the change.
The main takeaway is that yes, the CDC no longer recommends that all international and interstate travel require a person in quarantine / self-reactive isolate for 14 days, but it does define that travelers must continue to follow state, tribal and territorial guidelines . In other words, the CDC is not saying that self-isolation after travel is no longer necessary, but instead, travelers should consider the specifics of the state, tribes and territories.
How can you check the state / tribal / territory travel policy?
In addition to a Google search for “travel restrictions [insert state]”, this page of the CDC website has links to the websites of health departments in each state and territory, and this page provides information on tribal policies . Keep in mind that state policy is constantly updated based on the latest COVID hotspots. So even if you checked your destination’s rules last week, check them again before going anywhere.
What else does the new rules say?
In principle, we have already heard the rest. But since it’s worth repeating, here’s what they call in the After Travel section :
You may have contracted COVID-19 while traveling. You may feel good and have no symptoms, but you can become infected without symptoms and transmit the virus to others. You and your travel companions (including children ) pose a risk to your family, friends and community for 14 days after contracting the virus. Regardless of where you traveled or what did you do during your trip, take the following steps to protect others from illness upon your return:
- When around other people, keep at least 6 feet (about 2 arms outstretched) from people outside your family. It is important to do this everywhere, both indoors and outdoors.
- Wear a mask to keep your nose and mouth covered when you are out.
- Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol).
- Monitor your health and look for COVID-19 symptoms . Take your temperature if you feel sick.
The CDC policy also notes that some tourism activities are more dangerous than others when it comes to the spread of COVID. These include:
- Be in an area with a high prevalence of COVID-19. You can check the levels of places you’ve visited, including countries, as well as states, territories, counties, and cities in the United States .
- Going to a large social event, such as a wedding, funeral, or party.
- Attending a mass event, such as a sporting event, concert, or parade.
- Be in a crowd – for example, in restaurants, bars, airports, bus and train stations, or movie theaters.
- Traveling by cruise ship or river boat.
So keep avoiding cruise ship weddings, keep wearing a face mask, and remember to be physically distant.