The days of vaccine passports and urgent PCR tests are over; what's left now will depend on the country you're visiting – and will probably sound like suggestions rather than a mandate.
For example: In France, you do not have to do anything, although it is recommended to wear a mask, avoid vulnerable people, work from home and tell loved ones that you are sick. In Germany, the national advice is to stay at home “if possible” and avoid contact with others, but there is no official requirement to isolate. Italy survey covid isolation requirements last summer.
Ideally, you should follow local rules and do your best to minimize the spread of disease, says Lin H. Chen, associate professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Travel Medicine Center at Mount Auburn Hospital.
But remember that what exists today may not exist by the time you travel. Register on the destination's Ministry of Health website to stay informed before your trip.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website is still Remarks: “Do not travel while sick. » But airlines are no longer collecting proof of negative Covid tests to return to the United States, and there are no requirements to return to the country.
Still, “we are in a period of transition,” Chen said, referring to U.S. guidelines. The CDC plans relax covid isolation recommendations for the first time since 2021.
Current guidelines state that those who test positive should stay home and not attend school for five days. The new recommendation, which has not yet been finalized but could arrive in April, will be more like managing the flu or RSV: if you test positive and you have a fever or severe symptoms — or seem s get worse – you need to isolate yourself. But once you're fever-free without the aid of medication for 24 hours or have mild and improving symptoms, you'll be good to go.
Dave Daigle, associate director of communications for the CDC's Center for Global Health, told me in an email that people who get sick while traveling should separate themselves from others as much as possible, although he didn't specify for how long.
Sick travelers should also monitor their symptoms and follow local guidelines and instructions from healthcare providers. They must also stay up to date on vaccinations (including those for covid), wash hands, cover coughs and sneezes, and wear a mask around others when they are sick.
“Before your trip, plan how you will get health care if you get sick or injured while traveling,” Daigle said, noting that it's especially important for the elderly, pregnant women, people with underlying health conditions and those who will travel. for more than six months.
I asked European travel planners and guides for their response to your question. Rome-based cookbook author and tour guide Katie Parla says if you're sick, she recommends wearing a mask, sticking to outdoor activities, downloading local food delivery apps, “and of course canceling your food tour or wine tasting “.
Sandra Weinacht, travel organizer and co-owner of Europe Travel Experiencessaid customers no longer ask about covid concerns, but his friends in Germany say “kind and considerate” people wear masks if they are sick.
Terika L. Haynes, travel planner and owner of Dynamite Travel, says travelers should still take covid seriously and recommends that those who become ill while traveling go to the nearest doctor or pharmacy, or try an online telehealth service immediately.
If you're worried about illness derailing your trip, follow the CDC's recommendation to consider travel insurance in case you need medical treatment abroad or a policy that allows you to cancel for any reason.
