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What are guidelines for self-quarantine after travel for vaccinated people?

Question: What are recommendations for quarantining if a member of your household has to travel to a very high transmission area and want to avoid potentially exposing family members upon return?  My husband is traveling to Florida for a conference and we need to plan how to best have him quarantine but are unsure how long and when to test for COVID. And should he wear a mask even when he’s in the spare bedroom with the door closed? Unfortunately, we don’t have a basement or other space further removed from the main living area. We are both vaccinated but our baby is our main concern, especially seeing that breakthrough infections are not too uncommon.

Answer: CDC continues to update its guidance on this front (latest update 8/25), and CDC keeps separate guidance for domestic vs. international travel.  Bulleted below is my synthesis of CDC’s testing/quarantine recommendations for fully vaccinated people based on three scenarios.  Given your description of your concerns plus the high levels of community transmission in Florida and the fact that your husband will be with many people at the conference, I suggest that your family follow CDC’s quarantine guidelines: make sure he gets tested 3-5 days after travel and have him wear a mask indoors when he’s around other people until he receives his negative test results.  While he’s traveling, he should (of course) wear his mask at all times when in public and avoid (where possible) situations that require him to remove his mask indoors in public (like indoor dinners, cocktail hours, etc).  As much as he can avoid the 3Cs– close contact setting, closed spaces, crowded places– the better.

  • Domestic travel: You do not need to get tested or to self-quarantine after travel.  Instead, monitor for symptoms and follow state/local recommendations.
  • International travel: Get tested 3-5 days after travel, isolate if the test is positive, self-monitor for symptoms and if symptoms develop isolate and get tested, and follow state/local recommendations. (Figure 1)
  • Quarantine: If you are symptom-free, you do not need to self-quarantine after contact with someone who has COVID-19. You should, however, get tested 3-5 days after exposure and wear a mask indoors in public for 14 days following exposure or until your test result is negative.  

Figure 1. CDC International Travel Guidance (from CDC)