New guidelines requiring worldwide air vacationers arriving in the USA to acquire a unfavourable COVID-19 take a look at inside sooner or later of journey will take impact Monday at 12:01 a.m. ET, in response to an order issued late Thursday.
Below present guidelines, vaccinated worldwide air vacationers can current a unfavourable take a look at consequence obtained inside three days of their day of departure. Unvaccinated vacationers presently should get a unfavourable COVID-19 take a look at inside sooner or later of departure.
Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky’s order says the company “should take fast and focused motion to assist curtail the introduction and unfold of the Omicron variant into the USA.”
The CDC mentioned starting Monday “all air vacationers, no matter citizenship or vaccination standing, shall be required to point out a unfavourable pre-departure COVID-19 viral take a look at taken the day earlier than they board their flight to the USA.”
Learn extra:
Journey restrictions and Omicron: What’s altering in Canada, U.S.
The tighter testing timeline “gives an added diploma of public well being safety as scientists proceed to evaluate the Omicron variant,” the White Home mentioned in a factsheet launched Thursday.
The CDC order famous the Omicron variant has been present in 23 nations. The order didn’t require COVID-19 testing necessities for worldwide vacationers crossing U.S. land borders with Canada or Mexico.
CDC’s order mentioned it “might train its enforcement discretion to regulate the scope of accepted pre-departure testing necessities to permit passengers and airline and plane operators higher flexibility relating to the necessities.”
The CDC is predicted to provide airways a three-day grace interval to permit for some vacationers to return to the USA with assessments taken outdoors of the one-day window, sources informed Reuters.
The administration is contemplating whether or not to grant non permanent exemptions for about two dozen nations the place entry to same-day testing is restricted, however the particulars are nonetheless being finalized, the sources added. These exemptions may final for less than a few week and are anticipated to be detailed on Friday.
On Monday, the White Home mentioned it will bar practically all international nationals from coming into the USA from eight southern African nations over fears of the unfold of the Omicron variant, however has not prolonged these journey restrictions to different nations the place the brand new variant has been found.
The U.S. prime infectious illness official Anthony Fauci mentioned Wednesday he seen the restrictions on the eight nations as a “non permanent measure.”
White Home spokeswoman Jen Psaki mentioned Thursday she wouldn’t “count on the lifting of restrictions earlier than we all know extra in regards to the variant. We’ll proceed to guage if extra restrictions should be put in place.”
