Fully vaccinated people can travel at 'low risk': US CDC

WASHINGTON - The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its travel guidance for fully vaccinated people on Friday, recommending that fully vaccinated people can travel at low risk to themselves.

Fully vaccinated people can travel within the United States, and COVID-19 testing or post-travel self-quarantine are not required as long as they continue to take COVID-19 precautions while traveling - wearing a mask, avoiding crowds, socially distancing, and washing hands frequently, according to the CDC.

The CDC defined fully vaccinated people as being fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last recommended dose of vaccine.

For international travel, fully vaccinated people do not need a COVID-19 test prior to travel, unless it is required by the destination, the CDC noted.

Meanwhile, fully vaccinated people do not need to self-quarantine after returning to the United States. They should still have a negative COVID-19 test before boarding a flight to the United States, and a follow-up test three to five days after their return, according to the CDC.

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 Rochelle Walensky said Friday at a press briefing.

While fully vaccinated people may travel at low risk, Walensky said, "CDC is not recommending travel at this time due to the rising number of cases."

Recently the trends of the pandemic are changing in the United States, as cases have increased during the past 12 days, CDC data show.

The current 7-day moving average of daily new cases stands at around 62,000 cases, an increase of 8.4 percent compared with the previous 7 days, according to the CDC.