If you’re planning to travel back to the United States after January 26, know that theCDChas issued a new requirement for people entering the country: a COVID-19 viral test which can detect for acurrent infectiontaken no less than 72 hours before departure, plus written proof of a negative result.
A properly certified, physical copy of the result also needs to be handed into the airline, otherwise a person will not be allowed to board.
The new CDC requirement will be implemented along with a second recommended viral test to be taken within three to five days after arrival; returnees will also be required to stay at home for seven days after they travel.
These measures are being undertaken to try and stop thespread of COVID-19, which hasinfectednearly 23 million Americans, and killed more than 380,000 so far (viaThe New York Times).
In announcing the new requirement, CDC Director Robert R. Redfield said: “Testing does not eliminate all risk, but when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions likewearing masksandsocial distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations.”
A similar requirement has been in place for UK travelers to the US
The soon-to-be requirement may come as a surprise for inbound U.S. travelers, but the requirement has been in place for theEuropean Union’s member states for some time now.
It is also similar to the requirement that the CDC imposed last month on travelers originating from the U.K. and heading into the U.S. During that time, the U.S. had hoped tohead offthe arrival of a COVID-19 variant, which made the disease more contagious.
CNNsays U.S. airlines have welcomed the change; it quoted one airline industry group which reached out to Vice President Mike Pence as saying: “[We are] writing to express our support for a [CDC] proposal to control the spread of COVID-19, including variants of thevirus, by implementing a global program to require testing for travelers to the United States.”
