US President Joe Biden on Thursday proposed tougher rules for arriving travelers amid growing concerns over the Omicron coronavirus. One of the new travel regulations required of passengers entering the United States would be to present a negative coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test result within one day of their trip.
“This additional testing plan offers a further level of protection,” said Biden, “as researchers proceed to examine the omicron variety.”
A spokesperson for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the new testing requirement will reinforce the “already robust protocols” for international passengers.
Furthermore, the federal mask law that mandates the use of face masks on buses, trains, and airlines has been extended until March 18. The mandate’s deadline was scheduled for the middle of January.
At a news conference, White House press secretary Jen Psaki declared that “nothing is off the table,” despite the fact that domestic travelers are not yet subject to the new travel requirements of vaccination or negative test results. The revised guidelines demonstrate how swiftly the White House is responding to the Omicron variant, which was first identified in Africa but has already spread to many other countries.
The inconvenience has been partially mitigated, though, by other relaxations, such as the ability to employ fast antigen testing rather than more expensive PCR tests. Travelers may feel even more relieved knowing that insurance companies are required to pay for the Covid test.
According to the White House, the new testing regulations should go into force early next week.
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