U.S. Will Require Negative COVID-19 Results from All Incoming Travelers.
U.S. Will Require Negative COVID-19 Results from All Incoming Travelers.
All international arrivals would need to be tested before boarding, according to a possible new CDC order.
INCLUDING U.S. CITIZENS RETURNING TO THE COUNTRY.
Ten months into the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. will begin requiring all international travelers—including returning U.S. citizens—to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test in order to a board a flight to the country. The move will go into effect on January 26, according to a new order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Travelers coming into the U.S. from international destinations will now need to get a viral test within three days of departure and share their negative results with their airline before a flight (antibody tests are not accepted). The CDC says that documentation showing that you've recovered from COVID-19 will also suffice for those who continue to test positive after recovery. Airlines will be in charge of verifying this documentation, and if you decide not to test or provide your results, “the airline must deny boarding,” according the the CDC.
The CDC also recommends getting tested again three to five days after arriving in the U.S. and quarantining at home for seven days post-travel.
“Testing does not eliminate all risk, but when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations," said CDC director Dr. Robert R. Redfield in the announcement.
First reported by the Wall Street Journal, the CDC's announcement on universal testing for travelers entering the U.S. expands the recent U.K.-specific passenger testing that was announced in late December in an effort to slow the spread of a more contagious variant of the virus. (The new strain has since been found in at least six states in the U.S.) Non-U.S. citizens and non-permanent residents coming from Europe, the U.K., and China will still be barred from entry, with or without a negative test.
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