Air travelers to U.S. set to face tougher COVID-19 testing
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[December 01, 2021]
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. is moving to
require that all air travelers entering the country show a negative
COVID-19 test performed within one day of departure in response to
concerns about a new coronavirus variant, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) said late on Tuesday.
Currently, vaccinated international air travelers can present a negative
test result obtained within three days from their point of departure.
Nearly all foreign nationals must be vaccinated to enter the United
States. Unvaccinated travelers currently must get a negative COVID-19
test within one day of arrival.
The new one-day testing requirement would apply equally to U.S. citizens
as well as foreign nationals.
Reuters reported earlier that a draft proposal was circulating among
government agencies for the stricter testing requirement.
A CDC spokeswoman confirmed the agency is working to modify its global
testing rules for travel "as we learn more about the Omicron variant; a
revised order would shorten the timeline for required testing for all
international air travelers to one day before departure to the United
States."
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The administration is also considering whether to require air travelers
to get another COVID-19 test within three to five days after arrival in
the United States, officials said.
The CDC did not confirm that, but noted it continues to recommend all
"travelers should get a COVID-19 viral test 3-5 days after arrival" and
"post-travel quarantine for any unvaccinated travelers."
The stricter rules could be announced Thursday, but
it was not clear when they might take effect.
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Travellers check a departures list at the ticketing level of
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport before the Thanksgiving holiday
in Seattle, Washington, U.S. November 24, 2021. REUTERS/Lindsey
Wasson
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CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the agency "is evaluating how to
make international travel as safe as possible, including
pre-departure testing closer to the time of flight and
considerations around additional post-arrival testing and
self-quarantines."
On Monday, the White House barred nearly all foreign nationals who
have recently been in South Africa and seven other southern African
countries over concerns about the Omicron variant.
A White House official said earlier Tuesday the administration is
evaluating COVID-19 measures "including considering more stringent
testing requirements for international travel."
On Tuesday, the CDC advised Americans against travel to Niger, Papua
New Guinea, Poland, and Trinidad and Tobago, citing COVID-19
concerns.
The CDC now lists about 80 foreign destinations as having "Level
Four," its highest level of COVID-19 transmission, and discourages
Americans from traveling to those destinations.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Sandra Maler, Cynthia
Osterman and Leslie Adler)
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