The United States government has decided to drop COVID-19 tests as requirement for air travellers coming into the country.
This was disclosed by the White House on Friday, according to CNBC.
According to the report, the President Joe Biden administration is dropping Covid-19 testing for inbound air travelers from abroad after several push for the requirement to withdrawn.
What US is saying
A senior Biden administration official, said, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will reassess the decision in 90 days.
“If there is a need to reinstate a pre-departure testing requirement — including due to a new, concerning variant — CDC will not hesitate to act.”
What they are saying
Roger Dow, President of the U.S. Travel Association, said, “The Biden administration is to be commended for this action, which will welcome back visitors from around the world and accelerate the recovery of the U.S. travel industry.
“International inbound travel is vitally important to businesses and workers across the country who have struggled to regain losses from this valuable sector.”
For its part, the Travel Technology Association’s Vice President of government relations, Mike Liptak, explained that travel and tourism are key to the economic recovery from the pandemic.
Nick Calio, CEO of Airlines for America, the lobbying group for the largest U.S. carriers, said the industry looks “forward to continuing to work with the Administration to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of the traveling public and to ensure that air travel policies are guided by science.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will reassess the decision in 90 days, according to a senior Biden administration official.
“If there is a need to reinstate a pre-departure testing requirement — including due to a new, concerning variant — CDC will not hesitate to act,” the official said.
In case you missed it
Airlines and other travel industry members had repeatedly pushed the administration for months to drop the requirement, arguing it was hurting international travel demand.
The rule, established by the Trump administration and later tightened by the Biden administration, required inbound travelers, including U.S. citizens, to show proof of a negative Covid test before boarding U.S.-bound flights.
The travel industry clashed with both the Biden and Trump administrations throughout the pandemic over rules aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19, including a strict ban on most foreign visitors into the U.S., which was eventually lifted in November.
