US to impose tough COVID-19 testing for travellers |
Amid the concerns about the new coronavirus variant called Omicron, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention of the US now requires all air travelers entering the country to show a negative COVID-19 test performed within one day of departure. So, nearly all foreign nationals must be vaccinated to enter the United States. Unvaccinated travelers must get a negative COVID-19 test within one day of arrival. The new one-day testing requirement would apply equally to U.S. citizens as foreign nationals. CDC is working to modify its global testing rules for travel and a revised order would shorten the timeline for required testing for all international air travelers to one day before departure to the United States. The administration is also considering whether to require air travelers to get another COVID-19 test within three to five days after arrival in the United States. The CDC did not confirm but noted that it continues to recommend all "travelers should get a COVID-19 viral test 3-5 days after arrival" and "post-travel quarantine for any unvaccinated travelers." The stricter rules could be announced on December 2, but it was not clear when they might take effect. On 29th November, the White House barred nearly all foreign nationals who have recently been in South Africa and seven other southern African countries over concerns about the Omicron variant. On 30th November, the CDC advised Americans against travel to Niger, Papua New Guinea, Poland, and Trinidad and Tobago, citing COVID-19 concerns. About 80 foreign destinations in its list have "Level Four," its highest level of COVID-19 transmission, and discourages Americans from traveling to those destinations.
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