According to new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fully vaccinated Americans can travel both domestically and internationally “at low risk to themselves” provided they are taking precautions including wearing a mask, physical distancing, and washing hands often.
Specifically, vaccinated Americans don’t need to get a COVID-19 test before traveling unless it is required by the destination country. They do not need to quarantine after returning to the United States unless required to do so by local ordinances. However, they should have a negative COVID-19 test result before returning to the United States from another country and they should get tested again three to five days after arrival.
Travel guidelines have not change for unvaccinated people. The CDC discourages non-essential domestic travel by those who are unvaccinated. Those who must travel should be tested one to three days before their flight and again three to five days after. They should self-quarantine for seven to ten days if they don’t get tested.
Someone is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or after the single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
No airlines currently require travelers to be fully vaccinated, although some countries, including Iceland, do. Cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, are also beginning to implement vaccine requirements. Disney Cruise Line has not yet made any announcement regarding a vaccine requirement but expects sailings to resume this fall.
Increased travel could see increased crowds at theme parks. Presently, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort both restrict their maximum capacity. California theme parks will be able to operate at a maximum of 25% capacity when they reopen this month, although neither Disneyland Resort nor Universal Studios Hollywood have announced their restricted capacities. With more people becoming vaccinated, and case numbers dropping in California, it’s possible theme park capacities will be raised in time for the busy summer months.
