SAN FRANCISCO (NewsNation Now) — With the long Labor Day holiday weekend ahead, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking unvaccinated Americans not to travel due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.
“First and foremost, if you are unvaccinated, we would recommend not traveling,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said at a White House COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday.
Health experts say the rate of transmission and hospitalizations is on a steady rise upwards. In addition, since the start of the pandemic, holiday weekends tend to increase people’s chances of widely spreading the virus.
Last year, before COVID-19 vaccines were available, the Transporation Security Administration (TSA) screened more than 3 million airline passengers over the Labor Day holiday. However, despite the availability of vaccines this year, the delta variant and lack of Americans getting vaccinated have caused a major spike in cases and hospitalizations.
Currently, the U.S. is surpassing more than 100,000 new cases a day, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
Of those eligible for vaccinations, which includes Americans 12-years-old and older, 38.5% are not fully vaccinated, according to data from the CDC.
If you’re not fully vaccinated and still decided to travel within the U.S., the CDC recommends that you take these precautions:
- Get tested 1-3 days before travel
- Get tested 3-5 days after travel and self-quarininte for 7 days. Self-quarintine for 10 days if you don’t get tested
- Self-monitor for symptoms
- Wear a mask and take other precautions during travel
While fully vaccinated people can travel with precautions, current transmission rates, Walensky urges them to consider COVID-19 risks when deciding whether to travel.
NewsNation affiliate KRON contributed to this report.
