March 27th, 2021 | Posted by: Grace Kim
From pauses on travel to borders slowly lifting, vaccinations are finally allowing Americans travel with more ease, both domestically and internationally. With months of active research, according to the Reuters COVID-19 vaccine tracking tool, it’s projected that 75% of the American population should receive their first vaccine dose by October 2021. And as hospitals and pharmacies are quickly and diligently working to get as many people vaccinated, you’re probably wondering when you can start traveling again? What are the new rules about traveling and quarantining?
Remember that once you’ve received both vaccinations, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t get COVID-19. For this reason, here are a couple of things you should safely note before traveling:
- CDC recommends to wait 2 full weeks after receiving the second dose to start traveling again
- Ensure you’ve been fully vaccinated at least 3 months before your first trip
- If exposed to COVID-19, make sure you’re not traveling if experiencing symptoms
- For your safety, you should still get tested 1-3 days before and 3-5 days after traveling
CDC COVID-19 Guidelines
If you don’t meet all the criteria, it’s recommended to quarantine for at least 10 days. Further, if you’ve self quarantined and are feeling symptoms after the last day, quarantine for the full 14 days and see how you’re feeling afterwards.
Although it’s not mandatory, you’ll ensure health and safety not only for you, but for your friends and family too.
The CDC also recommends that traveling should not be pursued until two full weeks after the second dose for immunity to build. And as it’s still unsure how long protection will last from being vaccinated, studies show that vaccines are 94% effective.
Only time will tell but Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna are doing their best to develop vaccines to ensure full protection and health against the virus.
>> Read More: Flying During COVID with United Airlines
Can you skip quarantine if you’re fully vaccinated from COVID-19?
According to the CDC, quarantine can be skipped even if exposed to COVID-19 ONLY if both doses of Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines have been received.
So the short answer is: yes.
Isn’t there a huge weight taken off your shoulders? The time has finally come where we’re allowed to travel with less fear of potentially getting the virus. But even if you’re fully vaccinated, that doesn’t mean you should stop taking precaution when traveling or in public. Remember to continue wearing your mask and respect social distancing in public spaces. Bring hand sanitizer wherever you go and try to avoid enclosed spaces with a lot of people.
The COVID-19 Travel Kit: 4 Essentials
Are other countries allowing people skip quarantine if they’re fully vaccinated?
In the last few weeks, more than 90 countries opened up borders ONLY to travelers who received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination. And as it’s projected that even more countries lift up borders once more people get vaccinated, I think it’s finally time to think about planning trips. Ensure to conduct research before traveling since each country has a different set of travel rules but it looks like more and more countries will start adopting mandatory vaccinations before entering their respective borders.
Early into the global pandemic, there have even been a select number of countries not requiring a negative COVID-19 test to enter. These countries include Mexico and the Caribbeans. But for this reason, it should be that much more apparent to get vaccinated before entering to avoid higher potential possibilities of getting the virus.
Note that if you’re planning on traveling internationally with children; unfortunately, there’s still no COVID-19 vaccination approved for children. But if you’re planning on traveling to see family, there are precautions that can be taken if not all members are fully vaccinated. Make the effort to ensure that everyone is fully vaccinated before traveling but if you’re looking to travel overseas, it’s time to call a baby sitter and leave your kids at home. However, if you’re keen on traveling with your child, consider Slovenia as they’re allowing the exception of children travel into the country with a “close family member” who isn’t required to self-quarantine.
Overall, Travel Safely
With rapid changes being made within the travel industry, always remember to take precaution and travel safely. The last thing you want is to go buck wild after not traveling for months, forget to respect rules from local destinations, and potentially catch the virus. Remember to always keep a spare mask and carry hand sanitizer with you at all times.
It’s projected to be an exciting year as international borders have been lightening up but with each country, it’s important to respect and follow the rules set by government agencies. Although dependent on the country, it’s still important for you to conduct research before traveling, so check for updated information with authorities at your current destination and enjoy your time spent traveling.
Additional Questions
With the numerous updates on the vaccinations, the more and more questions are being asked about traveling both domestically and internationally. Listed are additional answered questions and information to know about traveling during the global pandemic.
- Can I get COVID-19 after vaccination?
There are possibilities of potentially getting COVID-19 after receiving both doses of the vaccination. Because it takes up to two weeks to fully build protection and immunity against the virus, it’s possible to catch it within the two weeks.
- Will COVID vaccine be mandatory for air travel? Will COVID vaccine be mandatory for international travel?
Vaccinations are not mandatory for domestic, but are exclusive for international travels. Depending on which international country you’re looking to travel to, it’s important to research and check if a COVID-19 vaccination is needed.
- Is it mandatory to get vaccines for travel?
Depending on a countries rules and regulations, full vaccinations may be mandatory to receive before entering.
There are a select number of countries, such as Mexico and the Caribbean, that don’t require full doses of the vaccination, but every country has a different set of rules. Recently updated, 90 countries opened up borders to travelers whose received full doses that at this rate, it’s projected that more countries will start adopting this rule as well.
- How long does the COVID vaccine last for?
There isn’t an exact time frame of how long the vaccine will last for but according to Penn Medicine, research states that the vaccine should last for at least 4 months.
- Will we need a vaccine passport to travel internationally? What is a vaccine passport?
A handful of states and countries, such as New York, Hawaii, Denmark and Australia, are exploring certain versions of vaccine passports as many countries are already using them as ways to open doors for travelers. Countries like China has already rolled out a digital passport for international travelers as other countries may not even require one to enter.
A vaccine passport is a digital or paper document showing that the person has received the COVID-19 vaccination.
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