White House Denies Considering New Domestic Air Travel Restrictions

Despite recent reports, White House officials revealed they are not currently considering any new domestic air travel restrictions to fight COVID-19, according to Reuters.

Before Friday’s scheduled meeting between United States President Joe Biden and airline chief executives, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said “no decisions have been made around additional public health measures that would change domestic travel.”

Sources told Reuters the meeting between airline executives, coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients and other administration officials will focus on health and safety, but the administration is not likely to require COVID-19 testing for domestic flights.

Government officials said the administration could revisit the idea if conditions change.

In a report from earlier this week, The Miami Herald reported an unnamed federal official revealed the White House was considering potential travel restrictions within the U.S. after several reported outbreaks of highly contagious forms of COVID-19 first identified overseas.

While the potential travel restrictions were not targeted at any specific state, the report claims recent surges of new coronavirus strains in Florida and California forced officials to consider new travel restrictions and health measures in conjunction with state and local governments.

In January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced all international travelers entering the U.S. would be required to present a negative COVID-19 test.

Weeks later, reports surfaced that President Biden was considering legislation mandating COVID-19 tests for all travelers preparing to board a domestic flight.

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