The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday, August 21, updated its requirements for travel during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Among the changes: It dropped the recommended 14-day quarantine for those returning to the U.S. from international destinations or from areas with a high concentration of coronavirus cases.
Despite the update, under the “After You Travel” category, the CDC notes, “You may have been exposed to COVID-19 on your travels. You may feel well and not have any symptoms, but you can be contagious without symptoms and spread the virus to others. You and your travel companions (including children) pose a risk to your family, friends, and community for 14 days after you were exposed to the virus.”
To that extent, the CDC still recommends that you should stay at least six feet apart from others, wear a mask over your nose and mouth and wash your hands (or use hand sanitizer). Additionally, the CDC says to follow state and territorial or tribal and local recommendations or requirements after travel. For instance, individuals traveling to New York from states with significant community spread of COVID-19 will be required to quarantine for 14 days.
If you’re considering where to travel, the CDC offers COVID-19 travel recommendations by destination; however, most countries remain marked as “COVID-19 risk is high.” New Zealand, Fiji and Thailand are designated as “low,” as are several Caribbean islands, including St. Lucia, St. Barth’s, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. Malaysia is designated as “moderate.”
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