With the new spike in COVID-19 cases, due in part to the delta variant, many travelers are wondering if they need to cancel their travel plans. Here’s what experts have to say about traveling during the delta variant spread and what precautions you should take. 

Why is the delta variant considered more dangerous?

The nature of evolving viruses is to replicate faster and faster. This means that each new variant of the virus is more easily transmitted than previous ones. Vaccination rates that would have been sufficient to stop the spread of the original COVID-19 virus are not enough to stop the spread of the delta variant. Children, teens, and other previously low-risk individuals are now being infected and developing severe symptoms.

Unvaccinated people are at highest risk for becoming infected, suffering more severe illness, and infecting others with a heavier viral load. “Current trends suggest that anyone not vaccinated will catch delta,” said Dr. Brad Bowman, chief medical officer of Healthgrades. “And fully vaccinated people may catch and spread delta. So, people need to be very careful to minimize all exposure.”

What Vaccines Can and Can’t Do

Although the vaccines effectively protect against severe illness, vaccinated individuals can still catch and spread the delta variant, warned Dr. Julie Fischer, associate research professor in the department of microbiology and immunology at Georgetown University. “It doesn’t mean across the board we need to cancel all travel,” Fischer said. “But it does mean we need to be cognizant of what transmission levels are in our communities.”

While vaccinated travelers can move about with significantly reduced risk, it’s important to maintain other preventative measures such as wearing masks and social distancing. Travelers should also be aware that many international destinations currently require proof of vaccination before entering, and more domestic cities are requiring it to enter indoor venues. The CDC recommends that unvaccinated individuals delay travel for the time being.

Travel and COVID-19 Testing

Many international destinations require a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours (or sooner) before arrival. In some places, this is the case even if you’ve been vaccinated. Travelers flying to the U.S. must have a negative COVID-19 test result from no more than three days prior to travel, or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in the previous three months, before they can board their flight.

“Testing is helpful because it can identify someone infected and capable of transmitting the virus to others before they get on the flight,” said Fischer. “But, if you were exposed within those 72 hours before getting on the plane, you could transmit the virus to others three to five days later.”

The CDC encourages even fully vaccinated people to get tested three to five days after traveling internationally. Fischer further suggests getting tested even if traveling domestically in crowded locations or virus hot spots.

Current Mask Guidelines

While planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation and transportation hubs such as airports in the U.S. require masks, many locations have removed mask mandates.

But the experts agreed it’s a good idea to wear one anyway when indoors or in crowded locations. The CDC recently updated its guidelines, advising people to wear masks indoors regardless of their vaccination status.

Fischer adds that N95 masks, cloth masks with filters, or double-masking can reduce the transmission risk significantly, and Paula Twidale, senior VP of AAA Travel recommends carrying hand sanitizer, a thermometer, and disinfectant wipes along with your other necessities. 

Everyone over the age of two is required to wear masks in airports and on airplanes, and the CDC said that people traveling with children should avoid crowds and close contact with unvaccinated people. 

Tips for Safe Travel

Zero-risk travel is not possible, but you can reduce risks to yourself and others. Dr. David Edwards, an aerosol scientist and the inventor of FEND (a drug-free nasal hygiene spray), suggests asking these questions before traveling:

• Is there good air circulation in cars, buses, trains, planes and stations where I will be traveling? 
• Is the social environment a vaccine-only and/or mask-mandate environment? 

“Close and long duration is much worse than close, short duration,” he added. “Avoid anything that enhances the risk that [a] virus in the air will enter your lungs.” Airflow and filtration on airplanes, along with universal masking mandates, greatly reduces the spread of germs during flights. 

Guidelines and regulations are constantly being updated as new information comes to light. Make informed decisions when choosing whether and how to travel. 

*Lippe-McGraw, J. (2021, Aug. 16). Is it safe to travel as the delta variant spreads? Here’s what the experts say. The Points Guy. https://thepointsguy.com/guide/health-expert-advice-delta-variant-travel/

Much about the novel coronavirus, i.e., COVID-19, is still not fully understood. As research progresses and our knowledge of the virus increases, information can change rapidly. We strive to update all of our articles as quickly as possible, but there may occasionally be some lag between scientific developments and our revisions.