By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Jan. 26 (Reuters) – The Biden government is “actively” expanding mandatory COVID-19 testing to travelers on U.S. domestic flights, a senior official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said prevention said Tuesday.
Dr Marty Cetron, director of the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at CDC, was asked in a call with reporters whether new requirements for domestic travel testing could be applied. Cetron replied that there are “ongoing discussions and see what the types and locations of the testing may be … We are actively looking into it.”
Last week, President Joe Biden instructed U.S. agencies to make recommendations to “introduce additional public health measures for domestic travel” and to consider new requirements for people crossing national borders. Reuters reported on Friday that government officials said it should include the requirement of negative COVID-19 tests before flying domestically.
“We realize that there has been a dramatic evolution and increase in both testing platforms and testing capability. I think it’s a very important part of our toolkit to combat this pandemic,” Cetron said.
On Tuesday, new CDC rules came into force requiring almost all international air travelers 2 years and older to present a negative coronavirus test taken within three calendar days of travel or proof of COVID-19 recovery, in order to To enter the United States.
In talks with airline officials, the CDC said it was considering requiring domestic tests as well. Some airline officials are concerned that such requirements could limit the weak demand for air travel.
The CDC said on Sunday it would not relinquish travelers to some countries with limited testing capabilities. Many US airlines have asked for a waiver.
Acting Assistant Secretary of State Ian Brownlee told reporters that CDC has not yet issued federal quarantine orders, but recommends having self-quarantine for seven days after returning and receiving COVID-19 tests upon arrival.
Brownlee said the “main message to American citizens considering traveling abroad remains the same: Now seriously consider going overseas. If you are overseas now, it will be harder to get home for a while. ” (Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
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