WASHINGTON: The Biden administration will drop pre-departure COVID-19 international air testing requirements effective Sunday at 12.01am after heavy lobbying from airlines and the travel industry.
The Biden administration will announce on Friday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer require pre-departure COVID-19 testing for travellers coming to the United States after it determined based on the science and data that this requirement is no longer necessary.The announcement comes as the busy summer travel season is kicking off and carriers were already bracing for record demand.
Airlines have said that many Americans are not travelling internationally because of concerns they will test positive and be stranded abroad.within one day before flights to the United States but does not require testing for land border crossings. The official said: "If there is a need to reinstate a pre-departure testing requirement - including due to a new, concerning variant - CDC will not hesitate to act."The CDC is still requiring most non-US citizens to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel to the United States.
In April, a federal judge declared the CDC's requirements that travellers wear masks on airplanes and in transit hubs like airports unlawful and the administration stopped enforcing it.Related: