Spring Refresh: U.S. Travel Updates Health and Safety Guidance

Spring is on its way: The days are getting longer, temperatures are getting warmer and flowers are starting to bloom. But perhaps the most welcome sign of the season is that vaccination rates in the United States are climbing by the day.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 15% of the U.S. population has received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine and nearly 8% are fully vaccinated. The U.S. is administering, on average, 1.8 million doses per day. Meanwhile, trends show that new cases, deaths and hospitalizations have largely fallen since January.

This progress—paired with the good news of a third effective vaccine’s approval—is encouraging, but we all must do our part to ensure these favorable trends hold.

U.S. Travel recently updated its “Travel in the New Normal” health and safety guidance— developed in concert with medical experts and implemented widely across all sectors of the travel industry—to reflect the current situation in the U.S. Notably, U.S. Travel is recommending that all Americans get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it is available to them. Vaccination is yet another protective layer against the virus and, paired with preventive health measures, offers the best protection from COVID-19; it is the surest way to get back to the activities of our normal lives, including travel.

However, the positive vaccine news and impending spring weather is not an excuse to let our guard down. U.S. Travel continues to regularly update its Travel Confidently toolkit, which includes a suite of resources centered around the theme of travel being a shared responsibility. Travel businesses owners, residents and the traveling public must all do their part by continuing to adhere to safe and healthy practices.

Regardless of where one travels in the country, we are encouraging all travelers—at every point in the travel journey, including post arrival—to wear a mask, wash hands frequently, maintain physical distance when possible and stay home if feeling sick.

The light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter, but we must all remain vigilant in our healthy and safe practices. As Dr. Anthony Fauci said last week, "Let's keep our feet on the accelerator right now, because we are going in the right direction.”

Please click here to see U.S. Travel’s updated health and safety guidance, and click here to see the Travel Confidently toolkit.