CDC Updates Travel Guidance for COVID-19

Weekly travel advisory no longer issued by the Ohio Department of Health

Effective March 10, 2021, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is no longer issuing a travel advisory for those entering Ohio after traveling to states reporting positive testing rates of 15% or higher. Instead, ODH has revised its travel guidance to encourage Ohioans to carefully review Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance when considering travel.

This change means the state-by-state list will no longer be updated. Even as more individuals are vaccinated across the United States and in Ohio and testing availability continues to improve, travelers should still practice appropriate public health measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, such as wearing masks, practicing physical distancing, and washing your hands.

Updated CDC guidance related to domestic travel during the COVID-19 pandemic includes:

If you are fully vaccinated:

• Fully vaccinated travelers are less likely to get and spread COVID-19.
• People who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the United States:
  • Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to get tested before or after travel unless their destination requires it.
  • Fully vaccinated travelers do not need to self-quarantine.
• Fully vaccinated travelers should still follow CDC’s recommendations for traveling safely including:
  • Wear a mask over your nose and mouth.
  • Stay 6 feet from others and avoid crowds.
  • Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer.
• People are considered fully vaccinated:
  • Two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
  • Two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

If you are not vaccinated:

If you are not fully vaccinated and must travel, take the following steps to protect yourself and others from COVID-19:

• Before you travel:
  • Get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before your trip.
• While you are traveling:
  • Wear a mask over your nose and mouth. Masks are required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations.
  • Avoid crowds and stay at least 6 feet away from anyone who is not traveling with you.
  • Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol).
• After you travel:
  • Get tested with a viral test 3-5 days after travel and self-quarantine for 7 days after travel.
    • Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days.
    • If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
  • If you don’t get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
    • Avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness for 14 days, whether you get tested or not.
    • Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms; isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.