Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg
Pete ButtigiegSunday shows – Trump impeachment trial, stimulus dominates Buttigieg says ‘time is of the essence’ in the stimulus bill on Sunday shows the preview: Budget resolution paves the way for 0.9 trillion stimuli; Senate prepares for impeachment trial MORE said the authorities are considering requiring passengers to provide a negative COVID-19 test before domestic flights, according to an interview published on Sunday.
One of President biden
Joe BidenDemocrats say Trump’s impeachment defense ‘totally without merit’ A US-Israel defense treaty has benefits – and endangers the White House: Biden won’t waste much time watching Trump’s impeachment trial MOREThe first confirmed members of the Cabinet told “Axios on HBO” that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are engaged in “an active conversation” about the implementation of the requirement.
“What I can say is that it will be guided by data, science, medicine and the contribution of the people who will really have to do this,” he said. “But the problem is this: the safer we can do air travel in terms of perception and reality, the more people will be ready to go back on air.”
Buttigieg’s comments on a possible madnate test come after the CDC instituted a requirement for travelers on international flights to the U.S. to test negative for the virus that infected more than 27 million and killed more than 464,000 in the US alone, according to the Johns Hopkins University data.
The test rules for international flights emerged at a time when American authorities expressed concern about the COVID-19 variants found in the United Kingdom and South Africa, which are more contagious than the original strain. Both variants were found in several US states, with 690 cases of the UK strain in 33 states and six cases of the South African strain in three states, according to CDC data..
On Monday, Director of the CDC Rochelle WalenskyRochelle WalenskyCDC could set requirements for school reopening this week, Biden says the Maine governor warns against Super Bowl parties, Republicans seek to attack Democrats in reopening schools MORE responded to a question about airport tests saying that more tests could help reduce the spread, especially of infected people who have no symptoms.
The Department of Transportation announced on Monday that Buttigieg plans to quarantine after a member of his security class tested positive for COVID-19 after being with his secretary that morning. Buttigieg has since tested negative and has yet to show symptoms.