The administration of President Joe Biden has eliminated its requirement that international travelers test negative for COVID-19 one day before boarding a flight to the United States, ending one of the last government mandates intended to contain the spread of the virus. coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Friday that the requirement will end early Sunday morning. The health agency indicated that it will continue to monitor the status of the pandemic and will reassess the need to re-implement the diagnostic test requirement if the situation changes.
“This step is possible due to the progress we have made in our fight against COVID-19,” said Secretary of Health Xavier Becerra.
Aviation and tourism groups have been pushing the government for months to drop the requirement to submit a diagnostic test, arguing that it discourages people from booking international travel because they could be stranded abroad if they catch the virus. virus during your trip.
Roger Dow, president of the American Travel Association, said suspending the testing rule is “another huge step toward the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international tourism to the United States.”
The airlines argued that the rule was implemented when few Americans were vaccinated, but now 71% of those 5 and older are fully vaccinated, according to CDC figures. They also complained that people who enter the United States by land are not required to have a negative diagnostic test for COVID-19, although they do have to present a document proving that they have been vaccinated.
While travel within the United States is now at levels close to pre-pandemic levels, international travel — which is highly lucrative for airlines — has remained lower than usual. In May, international air travel to the United States remained 24% below 2019 levels, with declines among both Americans and foreign nationals, according to trade group Airlines for America.
Many other countries have suspended their testing requirements for fully vaccinated and booster travelers in an attempt to encourage tourism.
Some infectious disease experts said they viewed the CDC’s decision as appropriate, and that lifting the restriction is unlikely to cause the virus to spread further in the United States.
Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University said the rule was designed to prevent the importation of the coronavirus, “but we already have a lot of COVID here. It’s like telling someone not to put a bucket of water in their pool.”
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Koenig reported from Dallas. AP reporter Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.