Multiple reports out of the U.S. today suggest top officials in the Biden administration are considering a law that would require anyone who enters the country to be tested for COVID-19 the day before their flight. The U.S. also is considering forcing all travellers, including American citizens, to be tested again after they arrive, even if they ‘re fully vaccinated.
CNN said top U.S. officials “were deliberating the potential changes Tuesday night and no final decisions have been made.” But the network also said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed in a statement that the agency is working to revise testing requirements for travellers because of the new Omicron variant.
The U.S. currently requires visitors to display a negative COVID-19 test (rapid antigen tests are currently allowed) taken within three days of their scheduled departure, so a one-day time limit would be a major – and inconvenient – change.
Global News reports that the precise new rules “were still being finalized ahead of a speech by President Joe Biden planned for Thursday on the nation’s plans to control the COVID-19 pandemic during the winter season, according to a senior administration official who said some details could still change.”
“A revised order would shorten the timeline for required testing for all international air travelers to one day before departure to the United States,” a CDC spokesman said in a statement to CNN. “This strengthens already robust protocols in place for international travel, including requirements for foreign travelers to be fully vaccinated.”
The Washington Post reports that administration officials are also considering a requirement that all travelers get retested within three to five days of arrival.
CNN said that a mandatory quarantine for US citizens returning home is not under consideration. But the Washington Post story US officials “are debating a controversial proposal to require all travellers, including U.S. citizens, to self-quarantine for seven days, even if their test results are negative.”
That would have a severe impact on travel to the U.S. by Canadians and other foreign nationals. Forced quarantine for returning Americans also would strongly discourage international travel.
