With COVID-19 cases increasing in the United States and abroad, there is really no justifiable reason to travel internationally for pleasure now. But if you have an unavoidable need to travel to a different country, you will need to prove that you have no COVID before returning. The Centers for Disease Control has instituted a new policy requiring anyone returning to the United States from abroad to provide a negative COVID test (or proof of virus recovery) before boarding a plane.
The policy goes into effect on January 26 and it will fall entirely on airlines to refuse seats to passengers who do not or do not meet the requirements.
PCR tests or proof of recovery are required
O CDC request requires that anyone traveling to the United States from abroad provide proof of a negative test obtained no later than three days before their departure flight. If a traveler has tested positive for the virus in the past three months, he or she must provide proof of recovery from a licensed healthcare professional or healthcare officer.
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Antibody tests do not meet CDC rules, and the ad makes no mention of rapid tests. It is probably the best course of action to do a PCR smear test if you have to travel abroad. If a traveler does not present a negative test on the required schedule, the airline is required to refuse the traveler’s entry to the plane, according to the CDC.
To display proof of test results, the CDC recommends that you bring a “paper or electronic copy of the test result for review by the airline before boarding and for potential review by public health officials after your arrival in the US”.
If you provide proof of COVID recovery, CDC requires travelers to comply with the guidelines below:
Instead, you can travel with documentation of your positive viral test results and a letter from your health care provider or a public health official stating that you have been cleared to travel. The positive test result and the letter together are referred to as “recovery documentation”.
If the test is positive before the return flight, expect an impromptu quarantine at your vacation destination. Airlines are unlikely to reimburse you for a missed flight due to a positive test. The rules apply to “all air passengers, 2 years of age or older, traveling to the US, including US citizens and legal permanent residents,” says the agency.
Why travel internationally now?
International travel plummeted during the pandemic, understandably. Americans are still prohibited from entering most of Europe, and many of the destinations currently open to US travelers they are in the Caribbean, Mexico, South and Central America and Africa – all of which impose their own varying levels of coronavirus restrictions on travelers.
On December 28, the CDC began to require UK travelers to the United States to produce a negative coronavirus test, although the directive now applies to everyone bound for states.
Where do you take the test in a foreign country?
No matter where you are, you will need to be able to find a legitimate medical clinic with access to a support lab that provides legitimate results so that you can ensure that you are meeting the guidelines for your return trip.
Like USA today recommends, airlines and tourism advice can probably help you in this search:
Seek guidance from airlines, hotels, travel agencies and healthcare providers in the coming weeks. Travelers to Hawaii must pass a negative test to enter the state and bypass the mandatory quarantine, and airlines and tourism officials provide many details about the testing options. American Airlines said it will not be providing tests for passengers.
People who have been vaccinated still need to show test results
Given the early stages of the US vaccination program, most people will not be inoculated with COVID for a while. But even if you have been vaccinated, the CDC still wants you to get tested if you are returning from abroad.
There is no timetable for when these requirements can be lifted, but you can expect them to remain in effect as long as the pandemic continues to hit the country (and the world).