As News 12
has reported, the CDC has released new guidelines for people who are fully
vaccinated, but one thing that isn't changing
is health officials are still urging against travel.
"Every
time that there is a surge in travel, we have a surge of cases,” says Dr. Rochelle Walensky, a CDC director.
The CDC is
asking people to avoid non-essential travel, and some medical experts say they understand why.
"I think the concern is this wouldn't be considered a low-risk situation
because you could encounter a lot of different people," says Dr. Sanjay
Gupta, CNN chief medical
correspondent.
However, others are not on board.
"So this is one of these examples where I think the CDC is being far
overly cautious in a way that defies common sense. It just doesn't make sense
that you can't travel especially if you now can get together with loved ones,” says Dr. Leana Wen, former Baltimore city health
commissioner.
Airlines for America, an industry group, is pushing back, saying heavily
filtered air and masks make it less likely for the virus to spread on planes.
The TSA says
nearly 1.3 million people passed through airport security checkpoints Sunday,
the highest level since Jan. 3.
The new
guidance is based on the U.S. vaccination rate and science that’s uncertain whether
vaccinated people can still spread COVID-19.
"My
guess is we're going to hear looser recommendations around things like
travel," says Gupta.