Health experts say one negative COVID-19 test result not enough to travel

Sunday, more than 1 million travelers were screened at airport security checkpoints ahead of Thanksgiving. Most people prepared for their flights by getting tested for COVID-19 before they went up in the air. But health experts warn one negative test result is not an indication of being safe to travel.

Getting ready for Thanksgiving for some families is very different this year. Some are staying away from the large feast. Others are testing, so they can have a seat at the table.

“Let’s say that I was infected yesterday, I could get tested tomorrow and be negative and travel on Wednesday, and by Thursday or Friday, I could be contagious and pass it on to other people,” Dr. Ashish Jha, who is the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health.

So take the test, but don’t stop at one.

“You might become infected there,” Epidemiologist Michael Edwin, Ph.D., said. “So as soon as you come home, you may have to have another test, and you definitely have to quarantine.”