Travel restrictions won't be lifted until more people vaccinated, White House says

More people will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before travel restrictions can be lifted, according to White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday published guidelines for people who have been vaccinated, relaxing restrictions on who they could meet indoors without social distancing, for example.

But the new recommendations did not change restrictions on travel. That means people wanting to travel to visit family or friends face a long wait until more of the population is vaccinated against COVID-19.

Psaki was asked about why the travel guidelines had not been relaxed during her Tuesday briefing.

“It’s just a first step,” she said. “As more people get vaccinated they’ll look at ways to ease additional restrictions.”