Effective midnight Sunday June 12,2022, you no longer need a negative COVID-19 test result to enter the U.S. via air travel.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that it has lifted its COVID-19 testing requirement for air travelers entering the U.S. from a foreign country. However, the agency still recommends passengers take a COVID test prior to flying (no more more than three days beforehand) and not travel if they’re sick.
The news was initially reported by CNN and confirmed by White House Assistant Press Secretary Kevin Munoz in a tweet on Friday.
“This step is possible because of the progress we’ve made in our fight against COVID-19. Right now, we have life-saving vaccines and widely available treatments — effective against prevalent variants — preventing serious illness and death,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement Friday.
“The CDC continues to recommend COVID-19 testing prior to air travel of any kind and will not hesitate to reinstate a pre-departure testing requirement, if needed later. Ensuring the safety and well-being of Americans is a top priority.”
The change went into effect for all U.S.-bound passengers at 12:01am ET on Sunday. The restriction had been in place since January 2021 and drawn criticism from the travel and airline industries, which have been hit hard by the pandemic. The new rule also comes at the start of summer in the U.S., one of the busiest travel seasons. Travelers entering the U.S. on land had been exempt from the testing requirement.
The CDC will reevaluate its decision in 90 days — and after that on an ongoing basis — to determine if the requirement needs to be reinstated, a Biden administration official told CNBC. “If there is a need to reinstate a pre-departure testing requirement — including due to a new, concerning variant — CDC will not hesitate to act.”
Source: NBC News. For the full story click here https://www.today.com/health/health/negative-covid-19-test-no-longer-required-enter-us-air-travel-rcna32972
