But many people are now stranded in other countries after testing positive for the virus, including Houston resident Antonio Delgado, who said he was arrested after he and his wife traveled to Mexico for his birthday.
According to the CDC, no one can fly to the United States until they are released by a doctor or proof of a negative test three days before the trip. In cases like Delgado’s, travelers were instructed to isolate themselves for 10 to 14 days in the foreign country.
COVID-19 is already widespread in the United States, with more than 22 million cases reported to date. The new measures are aimed at preventing travelers from bringing new forms of the virus that, according to scientists, can spread more easily.
The CDC’s request applies to American citizens as well as foreign travelers. International travel to the United States has already been wiped out by the pandemic restrictions put in place last March, which banned most foreigners from Europe and elsewhere. Travel by foreigners to the U.S. and Americans to international destinations in December 2020 fell 76% compared to the previous year, according to the commercial group Airlines for America.
Airlines are obliged to prevent passengers from boarding if they have no proof of a negative test.
“The tests do not eliminate all risks,” said CDC director Robert R. Redfield in a statement. “But when combined with a period of stay at home and daily precautions such as wearing masks and social distance, it can make travel safer, healthier and more responsible by reducing the spread on airplanes, airports and destinations.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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