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Before boarding their flights, all international passengers to the United States will first need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test, according to a new federal policy that came into effect on January 26.
“Testing does not eliminate all risks,” said Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a statement outlining the new policy.
“But when combined with a period of stay at home and daily precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier and more responsible by reducing the spread on planes,” at airports and destinations.
Dr Redfield is expected to sign the order detailing the new rules on Tuesday.
The new policy requires all airline passengers, regardless of their vaccination status, to be tested for the current infection within three days of their flight departing to the United States and to provide written documentation of the results. of their tests or proof of recovery from Covid-19.
Evidence of vaccination will not be enough, because vaccines have been shown to only prevent serious illness, said Jason McDonald, a CDC spokesperson.Vaccinated people can still be infected, in theory, and transmit the virus in flight.
The agency will not need further testing within three months of a positive test, until the traveler has shown symptoms. In this situation, a passenger may travel with documentation of the positive test result and a letter from a health care provider or public health official stating that the traveler has now been cleared for travel.
Airlines must confirm negative test results for all passengers or recovery documentation before boarding. If a passenger does not provide proof of a negative test or recovery, or chooses not to be tested, the airline must deny boarding to the passenger, the agency said.
“Pre and post travel testing is critical in slowing the introduction and spread of Covid-19,” agency officials said in a statement. “With the United States already in a push, the requirement for testing for air passengers will help slow the spread of the virus as we work to vaccinate the American public.”
The policy is expanding on a similar rule, implemented in late December, which required travelers from Britain to show proof of a negative result on a test for the virus. The Trump administration introduced the restriction following reports that a more contagious variant of the coronavirus had become the source of the majority of infections in much of this country.
This variant has since been detected in several U.S. states and has likely spread even more widely, scientists said. However, the United States genetically sequence only a tiny proportion of its virus samples – too little to have an accurate estimate of the spread of the variant in that country.
The new travel policy follows an announcement by the Japanese government on Tuesday that four travelers from Brazil had imported another new variant of the virus to Japan. Two other so-called worrying variants are said to be circulating in South Africa and Brazil.
The coronavirus epidemic>
Words to know about testing
Confused by the terms relating to coronavirus testing? Let us help you:
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- Antibody: A protein produced by the immune system that can recognize and attach specifically to specific types of viruses, bacteria, or other invaders.
- Antibody test / serological test: A test that detects specific antibodies to the coronavirus. Antibodies start to appear in the blood about a week after the coronavirus has infected the body. Because antibodies take so long to develop, an antibody test cannot reliably diagnose an ongoing infection. But it can identify people who have been exposed to the coronavirus in the past.
- Antigen test: This test detects pieces of coronavirus protein called antigens. Antigen tests are quick, take only five minutes, but are less accurate than tests that detect the genetic material of the virus.
- Coronavirus: Any virus belonging to the Orthocoronavirinae family of viruses. The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 is known as SARS-CoV-2.
- Covid19: The disease caused by the new coronavirus. The name is the abbreviation for coronavirus disease 2019.
- Isolation and quarantine: Isolation is the separation of those who know they have a contagious disease from those who do not. Quarantine refers to restricting the movement of people who have been exposed to a virus.
- Nasopharyngeal swab: A long, flexible stick with a soft swab that is inserted deep into the nose to take samples from the space where the nasal cavity meets the throat. Samples for coronavirus testing can also be collected with swabs that don’t go as deep into the nose – sometimes called nasal swabs – or oral or throat swabs.
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): Scientists use PCR to make millions of copies of genetic material in a sample. Tests that use PCR allow researchers to detect the coronavirus even when it is rare.
- Viral load: The amount of virus in a person’s body. In people infected with the coronavirus, the viral load may peak before starting to show symptoms, if symptoms do appear.
The White House coronavirus task force and federal agencies, including the CDC, have been debating the expanded requirements for weeks.
The CDC currently recommends that all air travelers, including those flying to the United States, get tested one to three days before travel, and again three to five days after travel ends.
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Many airlines offer optional tests for passengers, but only impose them when destinations require them to do so. But last week, a group representing major U.S. airlines backed a policy that would require all passengers to get tested.
In a statement, United Airlines welcomed the move, saying testing was “the key to unlocking international borders”.
“United has already put procedures in place to comply with similar orders for international jurisdictions, and we plan to expand them in light of this new mandate,” the airline said in a statement.
“In addition, United is actively working to introduce new technologies and processes to make it easier to navigate these test requirements for our employees and customers.”
Niraj Chokshi contributed reporting.
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