Taking a family vacation with unvaccinated kids: Is it safe?

MADISON, Wis.– With many people 16 & up now fully vaccinated, more families are getting the urge to travel. That puts parents with one or more kids between the ages of 12 and 15 in a tough spot, even if their kids are lucky enough to get their first shots this week: How can they safely plan a summer vacation?

Craig Trost of Travel Wisconsin says local families are already traveling.

“Every vaccine in the arm is also a shot in the arm for Wisconsin tourism,” he said. And the numbers don’t lie. “We’re seeing that trips of two nights or more are higher than not just the pandemic year of 2020, but also 2019, which was a record travel year for Wisconsin.”

Trost says recreational tourism can lead the state out of the pandemic… but is it safe?

“A little bit of it is about timing and a little bit is about what kind of activities families are doing,” explained UW Health’s Dr. Matt Anderson.

While many people 16 & up are fully vaccinated, most minors are not. Even if 12 to 15-year-olds are able to find a vaccination opening tomorrow, they’d still be five weeks away from full immunity. That’s mid-June, which puts many families in a tough situation when planning their summers.

“I think the particularly challenging situation is where you have one kid who’s eligible to be vaccinated and one who isn’t,” said Anderson.

Before planning your trip, doctors recommend checking state and local health department guidelines to see if there are any travel restrictions where you live or anywhere along the route you’ll be staying.

“The recommendations are less about kids versus adults and more about vaccinated versus unvaccinated,” added Anderson.

The CDC currently recommends unvaccinated travelers get one COVID test 1-3 days before a trip, another 3-5 days after, and self-quarantine upon return, even if they test negative.

Taking a family vacation with unvaccinated kids: Is it safe?

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