Biden to terminate mandatory COVID testing for travel into US

JFK airport in New York. Airlines have said many Americans are not traveling because of concerns they will test positive and be stranded abroad. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A senior administration official has told news outlets that the Biden administration will announce the end of its demand that anyone entering the country test negative for Covid-19 today.

Sunday at midnight, Reuters reports, the change will take effect for aviation travelers destined for the United States.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the research and data indicate that the tests are no longer necessary. After three months, the decision will be revisited.

The travel sector has opposed the limitation, which had been in effect since January 2021, for months.

According to the official, the Biden administration intends to collaborate with airlines to facilitate a seamless transition. The tourism industry and several scientists and legislators, including Democrats, had criticized the rule, arguing that it was no longer necessary.

Since December, the CDC has mandated that tourists must test negative within one day before flights into the United States but does not require testing at land borders.

"If there is a need to reinstate a pre-departure testing requirement - including due to a new, concerning variant - the CDC will not hesitate to act," added the official.

Robert Isom, the CEO of American Airlines, stated last week at a conference that the testing requirements were "irrational" and "depressing" for leisure and business travel.

According to airlines, many Americans avoid overseas travel out of fear of testing positive and becoming stranded abroad.

Isom stated that 75 percent of the nations American Airlines operates do not require testing.

"We're quite irritated. And this is harming travel beyond the United States. It really doesn't make sense," Isom remarked last week.

In December, the CDC increased rules for international flight travelers entering the United States by requiring a negative test result within one day instead of three days.

Publish : 2022-06-10 21:08:00

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