US says vaccinated people can travel, with precautions

Fully vaccinated people can start travelling again if they take precautions such as wearing a mask and observing social distancing, US health authorities said Friday.

Within the US, vaccinated people will not have to quarantine or take a Covid-19 test after travelling, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

But international travellers headed to the US should have a negative Covid-19 test before they get on the plane, be tested after arrival, and must quarantine if local authorities in the US require it, the CDC said in a statement.

Vaccinated travellers can go abroad without getting a Covid-19 test before travel unless it is required by the international destination, the new guidelines say.

They were released as travel is picking up again in the US, especially due to spring break and Easter trips, after all but shutting down completely in the early months of the pandemic.

A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last recommended dose of vaccine, the CDC said. That means the second shot for vaccines that require two jabs.

More than one in five adults in the US is now fully vaccinated, CDC director Rochelle Walensky said at a briefing.