Travel Covid testing

The news brings an end to one of the last remaining COVID-19 era travel restrictions that burdened the U.S. travel industry.

It is also creating a significant amount of stress for the travel advisors in addition to extra work when they do have clients willing to travel by air outside of the U.S.,” Labare added. The requirement was largely seen as a major drag on the travel industry’s recovery, muting its way back from the pandemic lows despite overwhelming consumer demand for travel. The requirement had been in place since January 2021 and, even with other restrictions ending, had remained a major hurdle for Americans traveling abroad. Travel advisors on the impact Travel advisors and travel agency owners speaking to TMR recently said that, even with the testing requirement being wound down abroad, the return test had proved to be a sticky point for their clients. Major voices across the travel industry continued to push for the removal of the requirement over the past few months, with some calls going back to January. In May, the largest, and most comprehensive, group of travel industry voices joined together to push the White House to remove the requirement. That is despite other major countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada, all eliminating similar requirements.

The U.S. will no longer require travelers to show proof of a negative Covid test before boarding flights to the country.

For its part, the Travel Technology Association's vice president of government relations, Mike Liptak, said in a statement that travel and tourism are key to the economic recovery from the pandemic. Separately, in April, a Trump-appointed federal judge struck down another contentious rule that aimed to curb the spread of Covid-19: the Biden administration's federal mandate that travelers wear masks on planes and other forms of public transportation. Airlines and others in the travel industry had repeatedly pushed the administration to drop the requirement, arguing it was hurting demand for international trips. "International inbound travel is vitally important to businesses and workers across the country who have struggled to regain losses from this valuable sector." Travelers entering the U.S. at land border crossings were exempt. - The travel industry had repeatedly urged the administration to drop the testing requirement.

Pre-travel testing to be dropped from 12 June.

Entry is suspended for almost all “unvaccinated noncitizen nonimmigrants” – who, in plain English, are prospective foreign visitors to the US who have not been fully jabbed. Under-18s who travel to the United States with a fully vaccinated parent or guardian need not be vaccinated. It will also cut the risk of potential disappointment if a traveller tests positive and has to cancel the trip. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. That depends on the policy of your testing company. The latter says there should be arrangements for children between the ages of two and 17 who arrive by air for “testing with a Covid-19 viral test three to five days after arriving in the United States, unless such person has documentation of having recovered from Covid-19 in the past 90 days.” The test can be a swift lateral flow (antigen) test, and there is no obligation for the test to be medically supervised. The airline will be required to “match the name and date of birth to confirm the passenger is the same person reflected on the proof of vaccination” and verify that the traveller meets the CDC’s definition for being fully vaccinated. The CDC suggests you “find a US Covid-19 testing location near you” with a link to the US Department of Health & Human Services list of providers. The CDC adds: “You will need to show proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before you travel by air to the United States from a foreign country.” The Centers for Disease Control (CDC, the health regulator in the US) defines it as the traveller having had “all recommended doses in their primary series of Covid-19 vaccine”. The key term there is “primary series”. There is no requirement to have had a booster jab. At present international arrivals by air must take a Covid-19 test on the day of departure to the US, or the previous day.

The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international air travelers to the U.S. take a COVID-19 test within a day before boarding their ...

He said there are few remaining pandemic policies that cause so much consternation for the travel sector, with China's “zero-COVID” restrictions being another. It was coupled with a requirement that foreign, non-immigrant adults traveling to the United States need to be fully vaccinated, with only limited exceptions. He thinks there will now be a surge in booking those trips, “which, if anything, will lead to higher fares.” In April, a federal judge in Florida struck down a requirement that passengers wear masks on planes and public transportation, saying that the CDC had exceeded its authority. However, he said, requiring foreign visitors to be vaccinated makes sense to avoid straining the U.S. health-care system with people who could develop severe disease. Meanwhile, travelers found creative ways around the rule. In May, U.S. international air travel remained 24% below 2019 levels, with declines among both U.S. and foreign citizens, according to trade group Airlines for America. It’s like telling someone not to pour a bucket of water in their swimming pool.” Airlines argued that the rule was put into effect when few Americans were vaccinated — now 71% of those 5 and older are fully vaccinated, according to CDC figures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that the requirement will end early Sunday morning. The requirement for a negative COVID-19 test before flying to the U.S. dates to January 2021 and is the most visible remaining U.S. travel restriction of the pandemic era. The health agency said it will continue to monitor state of the pandemic and will reassess the need for a testing requirement if the situation changes.

The United States late Friday rescinded a 17-month-old requirement that people arriving in the country by air test negative for COVID-19, ...

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com In April, a federal judge declared the CDC's requirements that travelers wear masks on airplanes and in transit hubs like airports unlawful and the Biden administration stopped enforcing it. The United States has required incoming international air travelers to provide pre-departure negative tests since January 2021. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Its end comes as the summer travel season kicks off, and airlines were already preparing for record demand. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

The Biden administration is lifting its requirement that international air travellers to the US take a Covid-19 test within a day before boarding…

Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto said in a statement: "I'm glad CDC suspended the burdensome coronavirus testing requirement for international travellers, and I'll continue to do all I can to support the strong recovery of our hospitality industry." In February, the groups argued the testing requirement was obsolete because of the high number of Omicron cases already in every state, higher vaccinations rates and new treatments for the virus. A senior administration official said the mandate expires on Sunday at 12.01am eastern time in the US, saying the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has determined that it is no longer necessary.

This week in travel news, the United States is set to drop its Covid-19 testing requirement for inbound air travelers and Japan is now allowing ...

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