Beginning December 28, passengers flying United from Heathrow airport in London to the United States must provide proof of a negative coronavirus test or an antigen test done within three days of departure, company officials said in a statement. communicated.
United’s policy applies to its flights from Heathrow to Newark, New Jersey, as well as the company’s flights to Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, DC.
British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic announced similar requirements for flights from the UK to New York on Monday.
On Thursday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said his state would require United passengers to test negative for the virus 72 hours after their flights from London to Newark.
“As we continue to have a second wave of COVID-19 cases, it is critical that we take any and all precautions to mitigate the potential for further transmission,” says the statement in part, “said the governor.
United said the health and safety of its workers and passengers is its “highest priority.
Passengers with connections at Heathrow in London for a United flight from another country would be exempt from the policy, the airline said.
United said it has already required passengers to acknowledge that they have not been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the past 14 days and have no symptoms.
When checking in for the flight, the passenger acknowledged on the airline’s Ready-to-Fly checklist that he had not been diagnosed with Covid-19 and had no Covid-related symptoms, an airline spokeswoman said. .
After receiving more information about the health of this passenger, “it appears that he has wrongly acknowledged this requirement,” said the spokeswoman.
Chris Boyette and Sheena Jones of CNN contributed to this report.