Former Globe Trekker host Justine Shapiro reflects on travel restrictions amid rising cases of coronavirus and the future of the travel industry.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ordered all travelers flying to the U.S. to provide evidence of negative Covid-19 testing before embarking on their January 26 flight. keep soaring and new, more contagious strains of the virus are emerging around the world.
This is what you need to know about the new protocols before embarking on a journey.
Who influences this?
The order applies to anyone traveling on international flights to the US, including US citizens. You will have to show negative test results even if you are flying with a private jet or charter flight. There are exceptions for children under 2 years of age, airline personnel and federal law enforcement agents and members of the military who are on duty.
Which countries are covered?
All of them. Passengers must provide evidence of a negative test when traveling to the U.S. from any country, including Mexico and the Caribbean. Airlines may seek temporary exemption for certain countries where input tests are insufficient, but transport companies have not yet said which countries may fall into this category.
The universal test requirement takes effect on 26 January. People arriving from the UK are already subject to similar testing requirements that came into effect in December following the emergence of a new coronavirus strain there.
What kind of test will I need, and when? What happens if I do not have my results? U.S.-bound air travelers should not be tested for more than three days prior to the flight and bring written or electronic proof of the results. Airline can accept both PCR and rapid antigen tests. If you do not have the documentation with you, airlines will not allow you to board, as instructed by the CDC.
Airlines are still working out the exact protocols they will use to check the test results. Customers arriving from the UK on United Airlines show test results in the lobby in front of the security, but the details may not be the same for other countries, a spokesman for United Airlines Holdings Inc. said.
What if I was vaccinated?
Even if you have been vaccinated for Covid-19, you must still provide evidence of a negative test.
What if I recently had Covid-19 and got better?
If you have tested positive for Covid-19 over the past three months but have no more symptoms, the CDC does not recommend testing again. If you are in this group and meet the criteria for terminating isolation, the CDC states that you can travel as long as you have written permission from a healthcare provider or public health official. Bring your positive test result and the doctor’s letter to show the airline instead of a negative test result.
Does this mean that the US has lifted a ban on most travel from Europe, the UK and other countries?
Not at this point. Airline has urged the government to drop the ban, especially now that the test requirements are coming into force. However, the government has not taken any action for it, so people who are not US citizens or permanent residents cannot come to the US from most of Europe, the UK, Brazil, China and Iran. Similarly, many countries do not allow travelers to enter from the US, or continue to set long quarantine requirements upon their arrival.
What if I now have to change my travel plans?
Airline has already eliminated most international change fees and adds more flexibility to people who need to adjust their plans and come to the US before the new testing requirements take effect.
American Airlines Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. will allow people, for example, to book international tickets to the US scheduled for February 9, as long as the new trip begins on or before January 25. This means you can book to fly before needing to test without paying higher rates at the last minute.
Do I need to be retested or quarantined when I return to the US?
The CDC recommends that people take a second test three to five days after their trip and stay home for seven days (or ten days without a second test). CDC officials said self-testing is not a substitute for social distance and wearing face masks.