Starting December 6, the US will require inbound international passengers to be tested for COVID-19 within one day of departure, regardless of vaccination status
The United States on December 3 announced new testing guidelines for international passengers as the highly contagious Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread across the globe.
President Joe Biden announced the new rules hours after the first-known US case of community transmission of Omicron was reported.
Starting December 6, the US will require inbound international passengers to be tested for COVID-19 within one day of departure, regardless of vaccination status.
This tighter testing timeline provides an added degree of protection as scientists continue to study the Omicron variant,” Biden said in a tweet.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters testing and vaccine requirements could eventually be added to domestic flights too. “Nothing is off the table,” she said.
So far, the US has reported nine confirmed cases of the new strain, including five in New York announced by state Governor Kathy Hochul, and one in the Pacific island state of Hawaii.
The Hawaii case and one in Minnesota both involved residents with no recent international travel history, signalling that the strain is already circulating inside the country.
Less than 60 percent of the US population, or 196 million people, have been fully vaccinated, one of the lowest rates among wealthy nations.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told the Reuters Next conference that the variant could slow global economic growth by exacerbating supply chain problems and depressing demand.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty, but it could cause significant problems. We’re still evaluating that,” she said.
