US tightening Covid testing for air travelers

The US government is planning tighter entry controls for air travelers coming into the country amid the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, adding another hurdle to the aviation industry's long-delayed pandemic recovery.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said today that all passengers coming into US airports from foreign countries, including US residents, will have to provide negative tests for Covid-19 taken within one day prior to boarding — compared to the current three-day window for vaccinated travelers.

"CDC is working to modify the current Global Testing Order for travel as we learn more about the Omicron variant," a spokesperson told Argus. "A revised order would shorten the timeline for required testing for all international air travelers to one day before departure to the United States."

Unvaccinated US residents are already required to present negative Covid-19 PCR tests taken within one day of departure. The CDC also said it continues to recommend all travelers get a Covid-19 viral test three-to-five days after arrival into the US and for any unvaccinated travelers to quarantine post-travel.

The administration of President Joe Biden moved less than one month ago to loosen travel restrictions that had curtailed air travel to the country since early in 2020. Since 8 November, the US has allowed tourist travel from residents of the UK, China, India, Iran and the European Schengen area, after effectively banning entry for those passengers for the better part of two years through a series of presidential proclamations first issued by former president Donald Trump in January 2020.

While the new regulatory regime on travel introduced on 8 November opened up tourist travel in many respects, it also helped buttress the Biden administration's campaign to expand vaccinations. The program required Covid-19 vaccination records for all foreign non-immigrant tourists flying into the country, while imposing tougher testing rules for unvaccinated US residents. The CDC was also given expanded power to use passenger data and determine which vaccines count toward full vaccination status for travelers.

The forthcoming restrictions come just as the air travel industry was gathering steam in its approach back to 2019 passenger levels. The Transportation Security Administration said overall volume from 19-28 November reached 89pc of pre-pandemic levels, with 20.9mn passengers screened over the Thanksgiving travel period.

On 30 November the US issued new restrictions on flights to and from eight countries in southern Africa following the emergence of the Omicron variant. The White House will tomorrow introduce a strategy for tackling the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic based around widespread vaccination, boosters and testing.

By Dylan Chase