It’s about to become a little trickier to visit the United States.
President Joe Biden’s administration says that, starting some time next week, all in-bound international passengers will have to take a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of their departure. They’re also taking action to increase vaccination rates in the States, and extending the mask mandate for domestic flights and public transportation to March 18, 2022.
The changes were announced Thursday as part of a broader plan to bolster the nation’s arsenal of tools in its fight against the virus as the world enters its third year of the pandemic, CNBC reports.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that “nothing is off the table” yet when it comes to the Biden administration’s approach to curbing the coronavirus pandemic, including requiring that people be vaccinated to fly domestically, the Washington Post reports.
The U.S. and other countries around the world, including Canada, have issued new travel restrictions in light of the discovery of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
As of today, Canadians and others heading to the U.S. were allowed to take a COVID-19 test within three days of their departure. While Canada requires PCR tests for those crossing the border by air, the U.S. allows cheaper, easier-to-find rapid antigen tests.
Having to get a test the day before a traveller heads to the U.S. could be problematic in some cases, especially if someone wanted to travel the day after a major holiday.
There was talk on Wednesday that the U.S. might start requiring post-arrival tests, perhaps three or five days after touching down in the States. That would’ve added another cost and another layer of complication for visitors. But that policy appears to be off the table, at least for now.
“It (his government’s latest coronavirus policy) doesn’t involve shutdowns or lockdowns, but widespread vaccinations, and boosters, and testing and a lot more,” Biden said today at an event in Washington D.C.
“While this new variant is a cause for concern, it is not a cause for panic,” a senior administration official told reporters prior to Biden’s remarks. “We have the tools we need to confront this variant, to keep making progress in our fight against the virus, and we are using these tools to keep people safe, keep our schools open and protect our economy.”
U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes today said the USTA hopes the one-day testing policy “will be temporary until more is learned about the Omicron variant. In the meantime, the travel industry urges everyone to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible.”
