Airlines will not have to require travelers to present evidence of a negative coronavirus test before domestic flights, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday that domestic travelers would not need to have a coronavirus test before flights, in an apparent rejection of a policy that President Joe Biden’s administration would have considered, reported the The New York Times. Biden government officials said earlier that they were considering implementing the policy.
“At the moment, the CDC is not recommending the mandatory starting point test for domestic travel,” said the health agency, according to the NYT.
The CDC added that it would continue to “review public health options”. (RELATED: ‘It would be a political attack on the people of Florida’: DeSantis reacts to reports that the Biden administrator could restrict domestic travel)
Discussions took place between CDC and management officials over the requirement that airlines ensure that travelers test before domestic flights, Sec. Transporte. Pete Buttigieg told Axios on Monday. The policy would have mimicked the requirement for international flights, which requires all passengers to undergo a coronavirus test before embarking on flights from overseas to the US.
Congressman Sam Graves, a member of the Chamber’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee ranking, joins airline executives, union leaders and other political leaders (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
“There is an active conversation with the CDC now,” said Buttigieg, according to Axios. “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.”
But airlines and airline unions have opposed the policy, saying it would bankrupt the industry, according to The Associated Press.
“[Departure testing for domestic travel] it would decimate the demand for domestic air travel, put aviation jobs at risk and create serious unintended consequences, “the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said in a statement, the AP said.
Association of Flight Attendants President Sara Nelson said the policy would lead to the airline’s bankruptcy during her testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on February 4, according to the NYT.
Requiring passengers to test before flying can further discourage people from booking flights due to the additional cost, airline officials warned, AP reported. The CEOs of American, United, Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue met with White House officials on Friday, asking the government not to implement the testing policy.
On Friday, the US reported 5,418 new coronavirus-related deaths and 100,570 new cases, while 74,225 Americans remained hospitalized due to the virus, according to the COVID Screening Project. More than 48 million vaccines against the coronavirus were administered until Friday, data from the CDC showed.
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