Atlanta – The United States will require British airline passengers to do a negative COVID-19 test before the flight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday. This makes the United States the last country to announce new travel restrictions because of a new variant of the coronavirus that is spreading in Britain.
UK airline passengers will have to do negative COVID-19 tests three days after their trip and provide the results to the airline they intend to use, the CDC said in a statement. The agency said the order will be signed Friday and will go into effect on Monday.
Airlines should deny boarding to any passengers who do not take the test, said the CDC.
“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 agency.
The CDC added that, because of travel restrictions in place since March, air travel from the UK to the United States has already been reduced by 90%.
But the new strain may already be in the United States, doctors warn.
“We received people from the UK in the last few weeks, so why wouldn’t this virus jump on the plane with everyone in their blood and respiratory secretions?” Dr. Dyan Hes, a pediatrician in New York City, said Tuesday on CBSN.
The new policy is a turnaround for the Trump administration, which told American carriers on Tuesday that it does not plan to require any tests for passengers on UK flights.
Earlier this week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that three airlines flying from London to New York – British Airways, Delta and Virgin Atlantic – agreed to require passengers to take a COVID-19 test before entering on the plane. United Airlines agreed on Thursday to do the same on its flights to Newark, New Jersey.
Last weekend, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that a new variant of the coronavirus appeared to spread more easily than previous ones and was spreading rapidly across England. But he emphasized that “there is no evidence to suggest that it is more lethal or causes more serious illnesses” or that vaccines are less effective against him.
The co-founder of BioNTech, a company that worked with Pfizer on vaccines distributed worldwide this week, said his version is “highly likely” to work against the UK variant.
Britain has been under considerable pressure since news of the new virus variant was released. About 40 countries have banned travel to Britain, leaving the island nation increasingly isolated.
France relaxed its coronavirus-related ban on trucks from Britain on Tuesday after a two-day stalemate that arrested thousands of drivers and heightened fears of food shortages at Christmas time in the UK
French authorities said delivery drivers can enter by ferry or tunnel, provided they provide evidence of a negative test for the virus.
But French restrictions were of particular concern, as Britain relies heavily on its trade links across the English Channel with the mainland for food at this time of year.