CDC COVID-19 travel guidance remains unchanged

On April 6, a tweet with above 3,600 retweets and far more than 6,800 likes, claimed that powerful April 7, the CDC “will now let infectious #COVID19 instances to fly & quit this sort of reporting.” 

The tweet’s writer informed Validate that his tweet was based on a “CDC warn on travel” that was sent via e mail to health and fitness section officers in Virginia. The e mail was forwarded to him by a Virginia community wellness division source and was despatched to Verify for review.

Did the CDC alter its COVID-19 public domestic air journey direction?

No, that is not legitimate. The CDC’s public steerage for domestic air vacation has not transformed. 

The electronic mail inform cited in the tweet was sent to some health departments as a discover of alterations in how wellbeing departments report person instances and a favourable person’s journey programs to the CDC. The CDC has never experienced a policy that specially states COVID-19 infected people couldn’t fly.

The tweet that was posted on April 6 stated the CDC would “discontinue applying health vacation limitations to most COVID-19 conditions and contacts with documented air travel.” 

The tweet is missing essential context. 

The CDC has not issued any new direction to the community. What they have done is issued new reporting pointers to condition and local health departments. 

Verify spoke to the Fairfax County, Virginia Wellness Office about this tweet. The claim in the tweet stemmed from an email warn despatched to neighborhood Virginia wellbeing departments. Underneath the overall health section assistance, the CDC is discontinuing the use of the “Do Not Board” record in most instances. It also states the wellbeing departments can quit reporting the pursuing to the CDC:

• If a COVID-19 infected human being has approaching air journey
• If people today experienced traveled lately and tested constructive following arriving at their destination

A human being on the “Do Not Board” record can not receive a boarding pass for any flight into, out of, or in the United States. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) enforces this rule. The CDC has by no means had a plan that precisely did not allow for COVID-19 constructive people to fly, but unique airways could have conducted their have screening that prevented a particular person with signs from traveling (i.e. temperature screening prior to boarding). 

In buy to be placed on the “Do Not Board” list, a man or woman would have had to fulfill requirements outlined by the CDC. The CDC does not area every single COVID-19 constructive specific on the checklist. 

Officials with the Fairfax County Overall health Office described how the prior steering for COVID-19 beneficial circumstance reporting worked, and how it impacted vacation for infected men and women. 

Beforehand, when an unique received a optimistic COVID-19 final result from a doctor’s place of work or lab, the regional health section would be notified, Fairfax County officials instructed Verify. Then, that health and fitness office would acquire a record of close-contact persons and really encourage them to quarantine. That authentic beneficial and close call data would then be described to the CDC. 

If the infected man or woman experienced indicated an intent to journey throughout the time they were recommended to quarantine and the CDC would area that person on the “Do Not Board” checklist. 

So, now with the new steerage, wellbeing departments are not expected to deliver the data about an infected individual and their impending or earlier travels ideas to the CDC.

Simply because the memo from the CDC did not transform any community recommendations, Fairfax County officials explained to Validate that is why the CDC would not publicize this update on their web site. A spokesperson with the San Diego County Wellness Department in California advised Validate they have been also knowledgeable of the modify in information reporting.

The CDC is even now encouraging all individuals to be vaccinated versus COVID-19, don a mask in the course of travel. The CDC is encouraging exams for domestic travel for people who are not vaccinated or somebody who experienced a near contact with somebody who examined positive.

“Do not travel if you are sick, examined beneficial for COVID-19 and haven’t ended isolation, had close get hold of with a person with COVID-19 and have not ended quarantine, or are ready for effects of a COVID-19 test,” the CDC’s website said. 

The CDC did not answer to VERIFY’s request for comment.