Should I stay or should I go?
CDC gives the go-ahead for domestic travel but California says stay home. So whose advice do you follow?
To paraphrase an airline slogan, are vaccinated Californians now free to move about the country?
The COVID-19-era question arose Friday when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that “people who are fully vaccinated with an FDA-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the United States.”
The new guidance conflicts with the advice of California’s health officials at the height of spring break travel season, just as many tourist destinations are reopening for the first time in a year.
According to the new federal guidelines, fully vaccinated travelers do not need to get tested before or after travel unless their destination requires it. And fully vaccinated travelers do not need to self-quarantine.
But California’s Department of Public Health is sticking with its stricter recommendation.
The agency confirmed late Friday that its health experts are still strongly urging the state’s residents to refrain from trips “until we can achieve higher levels of vaccination in California and beyond.” There are no allowances for fully vaccinated residents in the current guidelines.
“CDPH is constantly reviewing science, data, and evidence, as well as evaluating CDC recommendations to update our guidance,” an agency representative said via email.
Until such time as an update is made, the state policy remains as stated Thursday: “Californians should avoid non-essential travel outside of California, to other states or countries. Avoiding travel reduces the risk of virus transmission, including by reducing the risk that new sources of infection and, potentially, new virus strains will be introduced to California.”
The CDPH did ease intra-state travel guidelines, removing the previous recommendation intended to keep residents’ trips within 120 miles of home.
California’s reinforcement of domestic travel guidelines comes as the state decides to allow indoor venues, including theaters, conferences and convention centers, to host attendees starting April 15.
Even after giving the green light to travelers, the CDC chief did express a cautionary note during a White House press briefing on the new guidelines.
“While we believe that fully vaccinated people can travel at low risk to themselves, CDC is not recommending travel at this time due to the rising number of cases,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said, according to a MarketWatch report.
Those who are fully vaccinated still should follow recommendations for traveling safely, the CDC said, by wearing a mask over the nose and mouth, staying 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowds and washing their hands often and using hand sanitizer.
Non-vaccinated travelers should continue to follow the CDC guidelines that recommend a viral test one to three days before travel commences, another test three to five days after returning home and self-quarantining for seven days.