According to The New York Times, it’s been announced that a new rule will be going into effect on January 26th, stating that international passengers arriving into the United States from all destinations will be required to provide a negative COVID test before boarding their flight. The test must be taken no more than 72 hours before departure. The new policy will replace the current measures which assign different protocols depending on the origin of the flight.
The news comes as new strains of the coronavirus spread around the world. The highly-contagious UK strain is just one of multiple new strains, with reports coming in from Brazil and South Africa of new coronavirus variations.
According to CNN, Airlines for America, an airline lobbying group whose members include American, United, Delta, and more, reached out to the CDC earlier this month to demand more testing requirements. “We are writing to express our support for a proposal to control the spread of COVID-19, including variants of the virus, by implementing a global program to require testing for travelers to the United States,” the group told Mike Pence on January 4th.
As always, if you’re planning on traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic, be sure to check the CDC’s page on travel and the coronavirus before booking your trip.