The passengers arrive on a flight from London, amid new restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at New York’s JFK International Airport on December 21, 2020.
Eduardo Munoz | Reuters
The United States will soon ask airline passengers to prove that they recently gave negative results for Covid-19 before flying into the country, according to people informed about the plan.
The measure, which aims to reduce the spread of the disease, comes with the registration of new cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirement for negative Covid tests, which was previously reported by The Wall Street Journal, could take effect on January 26, according to one person. The CDC, the State Department and the Department of Transportation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Last month, the CDC began calling for negative Covid tests for travelers flying from the UK because a more contagious strain of the virus was detected there, although it has since been found in the US.
International air travel remains extremely depressed due to the virus and travel restrictions banning many foreigners from entering the US
International air arrivals in December fell 76% from a year earlier, and non-citizen arrivals fell 83 percent, according to Airlines for America, a commercial group that represents most US airlines.