The US government is expected to require all international airline passengers to provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test before boarding flights to the country, people familiar with the matter said.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention plans to issue the order immediately after Tuesday, after weeks of talks between federal agencies and the White House coronavirus working group. The order is expected to take effect on January 26, according to a person familiar with the matter. The CDC and other government officials were still finalizing the order.
The CDC’s order for universal testing of passengers, including for U.S. citizens returning from abroad, comes weeks after the Trump administration imposed a testing requirement for travel to the UK because of concerns about a more infectious strain of the virus that was detected there. Since then, the new strain has been found in another part of the world and its presence in the US has been confirmed.
The US requirement comes at a difficult time for the airline industry and for international travelers who face a host of varied testing protocols and quarantine requirements around the world, including public health recommendations urging people to stay home.
US airlines have expressed support for the new requirement, but have argued that accelerated testing protocols should replace travel restrictions and quarantines to reduce the spread of Covid-19.