Executive Order on Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel

"By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1.  Policy.

Science-based public health measures are critical to preventing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by travelers within the United States and those who enter the country from abroad.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Surgeon General, and the National Institutes of Health have concluded that mask-wearing, physical distancing, appropriate ventilation, and timely testing can mitigate the risk of travelers spreading COVID-19.  Accordingly, to save lives and allow all Americans, including the millions of people employed in the transportation industry, to travel and work safely, it is the policy of my Administration to implement these public health measures consistent with CDC guidelines on public modes of transportation and at ports of entry to the United States.
 

Sec. 2.  Immediate Action to Require Mask-Wearing on Certain Domestic Modes of Transportation.
 

(a)  Mask Requirement.  The Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Secretary of Transportation (including through the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)), the Secretary of Homeland Security (including through the Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard), and the heads of any other executive departments and agencies (agencies) that have relevant regulatory authority (heads of agencies) shall immediately take action, to the extent appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to require masks to be worn in compliance with CDC guidelines in or on:
 

(i)    airports;
(ii)   commercial aircraft;
(iii)  trains;
(iv)   public maritime vessels, including ferries;
(v)    intercity bus services; and
(vi)   all forms of public transportation as defined in section 5302 of title 49, United States Code..."
COVID-19 Safety and travel 

CDC Yellow Book 2020

"Interested in the latest travel health recommendations? Check out the CDC Yellow Book, Health Information for International Travel, to answer your patients’, employees’, or your own travel health questions.

What is the Yellow Book?

We want all travelers to stay healthy while enjoying the sights, activities, and cultures of countries around the world. As travelers plan the details of their itinerary, clinicians can use the Yellow Book to help inform their health protection strategy.

The Yellow Book offers readers current U.S. government travel health guidelines, including pre-travel vaccine recommendations, destination-specific health advice, and easy-to-reference maps, tables, and charts.

Written by CDC’s travel health experts, the Yellow Book is intended as a reference for health care providers, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. Other audiences that find the Yellow Book to be a helpful resource include:

• Travel industry,
• Corporations and chief medical officers,
• Missionary and volunteer organizations,
• Americans who live abroad, and travelers taking short trips.

The Yellow Book contains numerous resources to assist health care professionals in making appropriate recommendations to their patients, before, during, and after international travel..."
Yellow book

Explore Travel Health with the CDC Yellow Book

"CDC Health Information for International Travel (commonly called the Yellow Book) is published every two years as a reference for health professionals providing care to international travelers and is a useful resource for anyone interested in staying healthy abroad. The fully revised and updated CDC Yellow Book 2018 codifies the U.S. government's most current travel health guidelines, including pretravel vaccine recommendations, destination-specific health advice, and easy-to-reference maps, tables, and charts.

The 2018 Yellow Book includes important travel medicine updates:

• The latest information about emerging infectious disease threats such as Zika, Ebola, and MERS
• New cholera vaccine recommendations
• Updated guidance on the use of antibiotics in the treatment of travelers' diarrhea
• Special considerations for unique types of travel, such as wilderness expeditions, work-related travel, and study abroad
• Destination-specific recommendations for popular itineraries, including new sections for travelers to Cuba and Burma..."
  Yellow Book

2018 CDC Yellow Book

"Want the latest travel health recommendations? Use the new CDC Yellow Book 2018  for your pre-travel health questions.

What is the Yellow Book?

CDC Health Information for International Travel, commonly known as the “Yellow Book,” is published every two years with the latest health recommendations for international travel. It is written primarily for health care providers, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, who help travelers prepare for upcoming trips. The book offers an in-depth look at travel health risks and ways to prevent them, advice for people with special travel health needs, and more.

People in the travel industry, international corporations, missionary and volunteer organizations, people who live abroad, and even travelers on short trips also find the Yellow Book an excellent resource..."

CDC Yellow Book

Traveling Overseas? Consider Getting Insurance

"If you are planning an international trip, there are 3 types of insurance you should consider: trip cancellation insurance, travel health insurance, and medical evacuation insurance. These will cover different situations and may give you financial peace of mind, as well as allowing for safe and healthy travel.

Trip Cancellation Insurance

Trip cancellation insurance covers your financial investment in your trip, such as flights, cruises, or train tickets. Carefully examine the policy to make sure that it covers what you need it to cover, including cancellation if you or a close family member gets sick. Depending on the policy, trip cancellation insurance might not cover any medical care you need overseas, so you may need a separate travel health insurance policy..."
Travel insurance

Traveler's Health
"The purpose of the CDC Travelers’ Health website is to provide information, based on scientific studies, disease surveillance, and best practices, to assist travelers and their health-care providers in deciding the vaccines, medications, and other measures necessary to prevent illness and injury during international travel."

Updated CDC Travel Health Book Released
"The 2010 edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Yellow Book includes new or expanded sections on medical tourism, traveling safely with chronic diseases and conditions, and expert perspectives on popular travel itineraries worldwide. The updated book, which is a definitive guide for healthy international travel, is now available online.

Nicknamed for its yellow cover, the health guide updated every two years is officially titled CDC Health Information for International Travel. The resource provides travel health recommendations and other features that help international travelers prepare for trips and stay healthy while abroad..."

New Travel Requirements (Western Hemisphere Initiaive)
"AIR TRAVEL

* All U.S. citizens traveling by air are required to present a passport book to enter or re-enter the United States.

LAND AND SEA TRAVEL

The following summarizes information available on the Department of Homeland Security’s website.

* CURRENTLY:
All U.S. citizens must show proof of identity and proof of U.S. citizenship when entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the countries of the Caribbean by land or sea.

Acceptable documents include: U.S. Passport Book, U.S. Passport Card, or other document approved by the Department of Homeland Security.

U.S. citizens who do not have a single document verifying identity and citizenship must present both an identification and citizenship document; for example, a driver’s license and a copy of a birth certificate or naturalization certificate.

* LATER:
On June 1, 2009, the U.S. government will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of WHTI. The proposed rules require most U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of entry to have a passport, passport card, or other travel document approved by the Department of Homeland Security.

o CHILDREN: U.S. citizen children under the age of 16 will be able to present the original or copy of their birth certificate, or other proof of U.S. citizenship such as a naturalization certificate or citizenship card.

Groups of U.S. citizen children ages 16 through 18, when traveling with a school or religious group, social organization, or sports team, will be able to enter under adult supervision with originals or copies of their birth certificates or other proof of citizenship. See the Department of Homeland Security's GetYouHome.gov for more information on the changing travel requirements..."

International Travel and Health, 2009 edition.
Provides information on health risks for international travelers