Passengers arrive on a flight from London amid new restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at JFK International Airport in New York, December 21, 2020.
Eduardo Munoz | Reuters
The United States will soon require airline passengers to prove that the test was recently negative for Covid-19 before flying to the country, according to people informed about the plan.
The measure, which aims to curb the spread of the disease, arrives as new cases break records.
Covid’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention requirement for negative testing, which was previously reported by The Wall Street Journal, could go into effect on January 26, according to one person. The CDC, the State Department and the Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The CDC last month started demanding negative Covid tests for travelers flying from the UK, as a more contagious strain of the virus was detected there, although it has already been found in the United States.
International air travel remains extremely depressed due to the virus and travel restrictions that prohibit many foreigners from entering the United States
December international arrivals dropped 76% from the previous year, with non-citizen arrivals 83%, according to Airlines for America, a commercial group that represents most major US airlines.