(CNN) – The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend a Covid-19 test requirement for domestic flights, the CDC told CNN.
“At the moment, the CDC does not recommend the necessary departure point for domestic travel,” according to a CDC statement sent to CNN on Friday night. “As part of our close monitoring of the pandemic, in particular the ongoing proliferation of variants, we will continue to review public health options to limit and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the travel space.”
The CDC added that it does not recommend that people travel at the moment.
“If someone has to travel, they should be tested with a virus test 1-3 days before the trip,” the agency said. “After travel, a recommended social health measure is a recommended social health measure to reduce the risk, to go with a virus test 3-5 days after the trip and to quarantine yourself for 7 days, even if the test results are negative.
The lead comes after Transport Minister Pete Buttigieg said in an interview with Axios on HBO on Sunday that the Department of Transport and the CDC were considering requiring a negative Covid-19 test for passengers on domestic flights.
The White House met with airline executives on Friday amid riots in the industry over the possibility of testing domestic travelers on the coronavirus, sources told CNN.
The airlines have been financially paralyzed by the pandemic and are wary of new travel restrictions that could cause further problems.