A Transportation Security Administration agent at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia.
Photographer: Sarah Silbiger / Bloomberg
Photographer: Sarah Silbiger / Bloomberg
The US will require proof of a negative Covid-19 test before visitors from other countries can fly into the country, in an effort to help airlines get back at least some of their most lucrative international travel.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday it has approved the new anti-pandemic measure that will take effect Jan. 26.
It requires travelers to be tested and provide written documentation of a negative result within three days of departure to the US. Airlines must confirm the information before passengers can board, the CDC said in the statement.
“Testing does not eliminate all risks,” said CDC director Robert Redfield, “but coupled with a period of stay at home and daily precautions such as wearing masks and distance, it can make travel safer, healthier and more responsible by reducing the spread. on planes, at airports and at destinations. “
The rules build on a federal mandate starting on December 28 that requires negative tests for passengers flying from the UK to the US, following the discovery of a new variant of the disease that is spreading more quickly. Extensive testing could potentially help revive the demand for travel between the US and other countries, which has stalled at less than a quarter of 2019 due to virus fears and government travel restrictions.
The new standard would apparently replace a wider one ban on entry for most non-US citizens traveling from 28 European countries imposed by the Department of Homeland Security following a presidential proclamation on March 11. DHS directed questions about the matter to the CDC.
The trade group representing major US airlines, Airlines for America, wrote to Vice President Mike Pence on Jan. 4 to support such a move, saying it would promote vital economic activity while protecting people’s safety.
“We believe that a well-planned program is aimed at increasing the testing of travelers to the United States will advance these goals in a much more effective way than the general travel restrictions currently in place, ”said the group known as A4A.
Some of the most lucrative air routes to Europe are among the hardest hit by the pandemic. Passengers aboard US carriers on transatlantic flights are down more than 85% in the past week compared to the same period a year ago, according to data from A4A.
Canada said Dec. that it would require air travelers to enter the country to obtain a negative test.