US will require negative Covid-19 test results from all international travelers
Ten months after the world was paralyzed by the pandemic of the coronavirus, the government of USA will start to require international travelers (also U.S. citizens returning to the country) to test negative for Covid-19 to be able to board a flight that will take them to the country. The measure will be effective from January 26, under a new order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In this way, travelers who want to enter the United States from an international destination will need present a negative result in a test carried out in the three days prior to the departure of the flight to the company with which they are going to travel (antibody tests will not be accepted).
Documents showing that the passenger has passed Covid-19 will also be accepted
According to the CDC, Documents showing that the passenger has passed Covid-19 will also be accepted when this is the case.
The airlines will be in charge of verifying this documentation and, in the event that a traveler chooses not to submit to these tests or not provide the results, "The airline will have to deny you boarding."
The CDC also recommends submit to a new test between three and five days after arriving in the United States and quarantine for a week after the trip.
“The tests do not eliminate all the risk, but when combined with a period at home and daily precautions, such as wearing a mask and respecting social distance, they can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing the spread [of the virus] on planes, airports, and destinations,” says CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, in statements contained in the statement.
As previously reported by the Wall Street Journal, this announcement from the CDC extends the requirement to present negative results in a Covid-19 test that already affected travelers from the United Kingdom since the end of December to try to stop the advance of a more contagious variant of the virus.
Some US states have already implemented this testing protocol for domestic travel
In any case, citizens from Europe and China without US nationality or those who do not permanently reside in that country entry is still prohibited either with or without negative test.
Earlier this month, Airlines for America, an association that represents the main US airlines, urged the country's government to establish “a global program to require tests from travelers to the United States”, instead of the current restrictions for international travellers, reported Reuters.
“We believe that a well-planned program focused on increasing tests for travelers arriving in the United States It will allow these objectives to be achieved more effectively than the current travel restrictions.” Airlines for America stated in a statement.
In fact, some US states have already implemented this testing protocol for domestic travel, allowing shorter quarantine periods with negative results prior to flying.
A) Yes, Hawaii requires negative results in Covid-19 tests carried out up to 72 hours before traveling in associated laboratories. Some islands require additional tests on arrival.
In the case of Alaska, travelers must arrive with a negative result in a test carried out 72 hours before the flight. New York asks to be tested three days before traveling there and to quarantine for another three days upon arrival before taking a second test.
The CDC announcement means the first testing policy applicable throughout the country for those who want to travel to the United States.
The CDC announcement represents the first testing policy applicable in the entire country for international travelers