New Requirements for Inbound Travelers to the US Take Effect on Monday

Starting Monday, the US will implement new requirements for travelers entering the US. Inbound travelers to the US will have to show airlines a negative COVID19 test result taken one day before departure. Antigen and nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) tests, including PCR tests, are accepted. This new rule includes vaccinated air travelers and even US citizens.

Previously, vaccinated tourists, permanent residents, and US citizens only have to show a negative test three days before their departure.

Voluntary Tests Upon Arrival

The US doesn’t require travelers to test upon arriving in the US. However, the CDC offers a voluntary testing program for travelers. This will help detect COVID19 especially the new omicron variant.

This program is available at select airports including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and San Francisco International Airport.

New Requirements Only for Air travel

However, the policy is only applicable to air travelers. Travelers crossing land borders into the US don’t have to worry about the new testing requirements.

The emergence of the omicron variant has complicated international travel. It sparked new travel requirements along with new travel restrictions. The Biden administration on November 29 banned travelers from South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

Omicron Likely to Rise in the US

The US discovered seven dozen new omicron cases. At least 17 states already detected the new variant. According to Dr. Rochelle Walensky of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number is still “likely to rise”.

Experts still don’t know everything about the new COVID19 variant. Walensky said that “What we don’t yet know is how transmissible it will be, how well our vaccines will work, whether it will lead to more severe disease”.

Dr. Anthony Fauci said that “That ban was done at a time when we were really in the dark”. Fauci added that the travel restrictions gave health experts more time to figure out the new variant.

Apart from the new requirements, the Biden administration announced its plan to expand its booster campaign.