Medical experts say a negative COVID-19 test isn't a free pass to travel for Thanksgiving. The reason is because a test may be administered and come back negative early on in an infection.
"A negative test result does not mean you won't get sick later," according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms may show up between two and 14 days after being exposed to COVID-19. The CDC recommends staying home for 14 days after your last contact with someone who has the virus.
The CDC website says a viral test only shows if you are currently infected. Also, a viral test can't tell you whether you've been infected before. An antibody blood test would show that.
You should get tested if you have symptoms of COVID-19, have had close contact with a COVID-19 infected person, or have been referred for a test by a healthcare provider or state health department.