Travelers from China must test negative for Covid-19 before boarding flights to the United States starting next week
Travelers from China must test negative for Covid-19 before boarding flights to the United States starting next week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Wednesday.
The testing requirement will apply to travelers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, and covers all passengers regardless of nationality or vaccination status, the CDC said.
The move comes amid a new wave of infections in China since it relaxed its “zero COVID” policy in early December. The Chinese government has also started to ease travel restrictions that were put in place years ago, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“CDC is announcing this step to slow the spread of Covid-19 in the United States during the surge in Covid-19 cases in the People’s Republic of China given the lack of adequate and transparent epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data,” it said. the CDC in a statement.
Starting January 5, airlines will need to collect evidence of a negative Covid-19 test from all passengers aged 2 and over before they can board flights from China to the United States.
Both laboratory-based PCR tests and self-tests for antigens will be accepted, as long as they are supervised by a healthcare provider.
Travelers on connecting flights will also need to provide proof of a negative test.
People traveling to the United States through South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, Canada’s Toronto Pearson International Airport and Canada’s Vancouver International Airport will need to test negative if they have been in China within the past 10 days.
“These three transit hubs cover the vast majority of passengers with trips originating from the People’s Republic of China and the Special Administrative Regions. We will continue to monitor travel patterns, adjust our approach as necessary, and keep Americans informed in a timely manner,” the CDC said.
Federal health authorities have not required negative Covid-19 tests for any international visitors since the requirement was lifted in June. The United States continues to require that all foreign travelers prove that they are fully vaccinated with the primary series of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Officials said Wednesday they were waiting until next week to impose the measure allowing airlines to implement the revived requirements.
“Airlines need some effort to update their data systems to put all of this in place. So, we have to make this announcement today, but it will take time to implement the program,” a federal health official told reporters at a meeting. instructions.