If you plan on flying internationally anytime soon, your trip may be a little less stressful. A requirement for all international travelers flying to the United States to take a COVID-19 test within a day of departure has been lifted.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined the regulation is no longer necessary, but will reevaluate the need for a COVID-19 testing requirement every 90 days, the official told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity in advance of the formal announcement.
For many, this news is welcomed. The testing requirement was unpopular among many travelers who faced the possibility of getting stuck overseas if they tested positive.
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Could testing requirements be reinstated if cases rise?
Testing requirements for fully vaccinated and boosted travelers have already been lifted in many other countries in a bid to boost tourism.
If a troubling new coronavirus variant emerges in the future, the testing rule could be reinstated, according to a senior Biden administration official said.
The CDC will continue to recommend COVID-19 testing prior to air travel of any kind as a safety precaution, according to the official.
“This step is possible because of the progress we’ve made in our fight against COVID-19,” Xavier Becerra, the health and human services secretary, said in a statement Friday evening, adding that the administration “will not hesitate to reinstate a pre-departure testing requirement, if needed later.”
The lifting of the testing requirement comes six weeks after a federal judge ended the CDC’s mask mandate for public transportation, including trains, planes, buses and transit hubs, saying the agency exceeded its authority. The Biden administration is appealing that ruling, saying it aims to protect the CDC’s ability to respond to future emergencies.
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The testing rule for international air travelers was implemented last year by the White House as the highly transmissible Omicron variant spread worldwide. It is one of the last remaining federal mandates aimed at reducing the spread of the coronavirus, according to the AP.
The initial mandate allowed those who were fully vaccinated to show proof of a negative test within three days of travel, while unvaccinated people were required to present a test taken within one day of travel.
However, later in the year, as the Omicron variant began to surge, the Biden administration toughened the requirement and required all travelers, regardless of vaccination status, to test within a day of travel to the U.S.
Airline and tourism groups have been asking the Biden administration for months to do away with the rule.
“I’m glad CDC suspended the burdensome coronavirus testing requirement for international travelers, and I’ll continue to do all I can to support the strong recovery of our hospitality industry,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., said in a statement.
Cases in the United States have been relatively flat at around 110,000 a day on average over the past two weeks, according to a New York Times database, after rising from lower than 30,000 a few months ago.
However, infections may be undercounted due to at-home test results not officially being reported. Additionally, many people with no or mild symptoms may not test at all. Death counts in recent weeks have remained below 400 per day on average.
If you test positive for COVID, the CDC recommends isolating and delaying travel for 10 days regardless of symptoms or if a negative test is taken within the isolation period.
Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more on traveling and COVID.