Travel is expected to return to near pre-pandemic levels on July 4th this year, when California reopens and returns to some form of normalcy.
According to the AAA, more than 47 million people in the U.S. could travel by car, plane, bus, train, or cruise ship this weekend of Independence Day – a 40% increase from last year when coronavirus cases rose and many businesses in the Bay Area did this forced to stop indoor operations before the holiday weekend.
But this year, “we’ve seen strong demand for travel around Memorial Day and the start of summer, and all signs are now pointing to a busy Independence Day with travel this summer,” said Sergio Avila, a spokesman for AAA Northern California. in a statement last week.
That July 4th vacation is expected to have the second highest US travel volume ever, surpassing it as recently as 2019, AAA said.
The auto club predicts that road trips “will continue to dominate this summer,” with approximately 43.6 million people heading to their scheduled vacations – a 34.1% increase from last year and an increase of 5.1% from 2019 .
According to AAA data, San Francisco and San Jose were among the top 10 cities where people pick up car rental companies on Independence Day. Others are Las Vegas, Phoenix, Kahului, Hawaii, Sacramento, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
About 5.4 million Californians are expected to travel on July 4th of this year, slightly less than the 5.7 million people who traveled for the vacation in 2019. In 2020 the number fell to around 3.7 million travelers.
Air travel in the US, which was severely restricted during the pandemic, is expected to increase 164% year over year to 3.5 million travelers – but that number is still a 10.3% decrease from 2019.
This slower recovery partly reflects the reality that the pandemic is not over yet.
Travel and face mask restrictions still apply Delta variant increases fasting in California and children under the age of 12 are still not eligible for vaccines.
Here’s what you need to know before you travel the weekend of July 4th:
What are the COVID restrictions in California?
On June 15, state officials removed almost all restrictions related to the coronavirus, including physical distancing and business capacity limits.
Fully vaccinated individuals also no longer need to wear face masks in most facilities. However, unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear one in indoor and corporate public spaces, as well as outdoors where social distancing cannot be observed.
However, there are some settings in which everyone, regardless of vaccination status, must wear face covering. Individual companies may also require all customers to wear a mask.
Here in California, face masks are required for everyone, regardless of vaccination status:
• Public transport and transport hubs (planes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, ridesharing, airports, bus stations, train stations and underground stations, etc.).
• Health care.
• Interiors in K-12 schools, childcare facilities, and other youth facilities.
• homeless shelters.
• Prisons.
What if i’m traveling from a state?
California no longer requires residents to be tested for COVID-19 or quarantined before and after travel. However, state officials strongly recommend that unvaccinated travelers be tested before and after their trip.
The rules can vary from state to state. So check out the restrictions on where you are going.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have one Trip planner Learn more about the travel restrictions, guides, and resources in the city / state / national park you are traveling to. AAA also has a similar tool called COVID-19 Travel Restrictions Map.
What if I travel with children who are too young to be vaccinated?
Children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccines and must continue to wear a face mask in all indoor public spaces in California.
Although data shows that children under the age of 12 have a lower risk of infection Bay Area experts say families and guardians should consider several things when traveling, such as the location they will travel to, the activities they will be participating in, and the type of travel to get to their destination.
Stanford pediatric infectious disease expert Yvonne Maldonado said summer activities are easier to manage because children are usually with their own families or social groups.
“Summer (is) actually easier than school,” because families on vacation have more control over who is near their children, “said Maldonado.
She added that it is important that the adults who are around unvaccinated children are vaccinated.
Do I have to worry about the Delta variant?
The highly infectious Delta variant is is spreading rapidly in California, but experts say it won’t affect residents as much because of the high vaccination rate in the state.
There isn’t enough data to show whether the Delta strain causes more serious diseases than other strains, how it affects children who are ineligible for a vaccine, and how well all current vaccines can fight the variants.
However, previous studies show that the Pfizer and Moderna two-dose shot offer strong protection against the Delta variant.
The San Francisco Chronicle Associate Kelly Hwang contributed to this report.
Jessica Flores is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. E-mail: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
