The US will require that all air passengers arriving from the UK test negative for Covid-19 before departure, following the identification in the UK of new variants of the coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the change on Thursday, saying in a statement that President Donald Trump would sign an order on Friday to take effect on Monday.
“The UK public health authorities recently announced the discovery of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2,” said the CDC in a statement. “A preliminary analysis in the UK suggests that this new variant may be up to 70% more transmissible than the variants that were circulating previously.”
A similar requirement for negative testing is already in place for many travelers to the USA. Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways said on Monday that travelers would have to test for coronavirus negative before boarding flights to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in response to a request New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
“This additional testing requirement will strengthen our protection of the American public to improve their health and safety and ensure responsible international travel,” said the CDC.
Dozens of countries – including Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Iran and Colombia – suspended flights from the UK earlier this week, reflecting worldwide concern about virus mutations that may be more contagious than other variants.
The UK government imposed new tough restrictions last weekend after scientists said a new variant of the coronavirus was spreading more quickly. Then, on Wednesday, the British government announced that another variant was detected in two people who had recently traveled from South Africa, raising concern.
The CDC said it would require evidence of a negative test result “no more than 72 hours before departure”. It will be up to the airlines to confirm the results before boarding and deny boarding to any passenger who chooses not to take the test, said the CDC.