Before boarding their flights, all international passengers bound for the United States will first need to provide proof of a negative coronavirus test, according to a new federal policy that will take effect on January 26.
“The tests don’t eliminate all risks,” said Dr. Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a statement describing the new policy.
“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, reducing the spread on planes, airports and destinations.”
Dr. Redfield is expected to sign the order detailing the new rules on Tuesday.
The new policy requires all air passengers, regardless of their vaccination status, to test for their current infection within three days of their flight departure to the United States and provide written documentation of test results or proof of having recovered from Covid- 19
Evidence of immunization will not be enough, because vaccines have only been shown to prevent serious illnesses, said Jason McDonald, a spokesman for the CDC. Vaccinated people can still be infected, in theory, and transmit the virus on a flight.
The agency will not require further testing in the three months after a positive test, as long as the traveler has no symptoms. In this situation, the passenger can travel with documentation of a positive test result and a letter from a health care provider or public health official stating that the traveler has already been cleared to travel.
Airlines must confirm a negative test result for all passengers or recovery documentation before boarding. If a passenger does not provide proof of a negative test or recovery, or chooses not to take the test, the airline should deny boarding to the passenger, the agency said.
“Testing before and after the trip is a critical layer for delaying the introduction and spread of Covid-19,” said agency officials in a statement. “With the United States already in an emergency situation, the requirement for testing for air passengers will help slow the spread of the virus as we work to vaccinate the American public.”
The policy expands on a similar rule, implemented in late December, which required travelers from Britain to provide evidence of a negative test result for the virus. The Trump administration introduced this restriction after reports that a more contagious coronavirus variant had become the source of most infections in much of that country.
This variant has already been detected in several states and has probably spread even further, the scientists said. The United States genetically sequences only a small proportion of its virus samples, however – too few to have an accurate estimate of the spread of the variant in this country.
The new travel policy comes in the wake of an announcement by the Japanese government on Tuesday that four travelers from Brazil had imported another new variant of the virus into Japan. Two other so-called worrying variants are circulating in South Africa and Brazil .
The coronavirus outbreak>
Words to know about tests
Confused by the terms about the coronavirus test? Let us help:
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- Antibody: A protein produced by the immune system that can accurately recognize and bind to specific types of viruses, bacteria or other invaders.
- Antibody test / serology test: A test that detects specific antibodies to the coronavirus. The antibodies begin to appear in the blood about a week after the coronavirus has infected the body. Because antibodies take a long time to develop, an antibody test cannot safely diagnose an ongoing infection. But it can identify people who have been exposed to the coronavirus in the past.
- Antigen test: This test detects pieces of coronavirus proteins called antigens. Antigen tests are quick, taking just five minutes, but are less accurate than tests that detect the genetic material of the virus.
- Coronavirus: Any virus that belongs to the Orthocoronavirinae virus family. The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 is known as SARS-CoV-2.
- Covid-19: The disease caused by the new coronavirus. The name is short for coronavirus 2019.
- Isolation and quarantine: Isolation is the separation between people who know they have a contagious disease and those who are not. Quarantine refers to restricting the movement of people who have been exposed to a virus.
- Nasopharyngeal swab: A long, flexible rod, with the tip of a soft cotton swab, which is inserted deep into the nose to obtain samples of the space where the nasal cavity meets the throat. Coronavirus test samples can also be collected with swabs that do not penetrate the nose so deeply – sometimes called nasal swabs – or oral or throat swabs.
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): Scientists use PCR to make millions of copies of genetic material in a sample. Tests using PCR allow researchers to detect the coronavirus even when it is in short supply.
- Viral charge: The amount of virus in a person’s body. In people infected with coronavirus, the viral load may peak before they start showing symptoms, if symptoms at all.
The White House coronavirus task force and federal agencies, including the CDC, have been debating expanded requirements for weeks.
The CDC currently recommends that all air travelers, including those flying within the United States, take the test one to three days before travel and again three to five days after the trip ends.
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Many airlines offer optional tests for passengers, but only require them when destinations require it. But last week, a group representing major US airlines supported a policy that would require all passengers to be tested.
In a statement, United Airlines praised the move, saying the tests are “the key to unlocking international borders”.
“United already has procedures in place to comply with similar orders for international jurisdictions and we plan to expand them in light of this new mandate,” the airline said in a statement.
“In addition, United is actively working to introduce new technologies and processes to make navigating these test requirements easier for our employees and customers.”
Niraj Chokshi contributed reporting.