You ask, we answer your questions about COVID-19 and the vaccines.
The vaccine team is working hard to answer all of them.
Now that more and more people are getting the vaccine, there are more questions about travel exemptions that may come after getting it.
We got one recently from Tom M in Manchester. Tom emailed in asking, “We have friends over 75 coming to visit in Mid-March, both of them will have had BOTH Vaccine shots for at least 2 weeks before they fly here, as will we. Do they still have to have a COVID test 72 hours before arrival, or will their vaccination card be sufficient to not have to quarantine when they arrive in CT?"
Despite all four of you being fully vaccinated, it looks like your friends will still have to have get a COVID test before traveling.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at this time all passengers traveling to the US, regardless of vaccination or antibody status, are required to provide a negative covid-19 test result.
So the friends will still need a test 72 hours prior to departing.
Now, regarding the quarantine part of the questions, according to the CDC, fully vaccinated people can now skip quarantine, if it has been at least two weeks since your final dose, and provided you don't develop symptoms.
However, it’s a bit confusing with regard to Connecticut, because according to the CT Dept. of Health travelers who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 is still subject to the self-quarantine requirement and must also submit a Travel Health Form, unless they are otherwise exempt. We reached out to the DPH for clarification on this, because it is the opposite of the CDC restrictions.
Unfortunately, they were not able to give any clarification. They said they are looking into it and gave us the following statement: "This is an issue that is being discussed and reviewed this week by the Governor's office and DPH, but any decision that is made will come later this week." We expect to hear back later this week, and we will follow up on this to get you a clearer answer.
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