As of January 26, all passengers are required to present a negative corona test or recovery certificate, before boarding a flight to the United States; passengers failing to do so will not be allowed on board.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States have extended their test requirements to all travelers entering the United States.
Effective January 26, the CDC requires all passengers entering the United States to present a negative corona test before boarding a flight. The test must be performed within three days before the flight to the USA. In order to board the aircraft, passengers must provide the airline with a written negative test result, in paper or electronic form. Anyone already recovering from COVID-19 will also need to provide proper documentation.
Airlines will be required to confirm, before boarding, the negative test result or recovery certificate. In case of failure to present the proper documents, the CDC instructs airlines to leave passengers behind.
For almost a year now, the United States had no sweeping authority to demand corona testing before traveling to the country. But the surge in COVID-19 cases and its various mutations is reason enough to require a test before arrival. Passengers will also have to follow all airline guidelines, including wearing a mask at all times.
According to CDC director, Dr. Robert R. Redfield, “testing does not eliminate all risk. But when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible.”
American airlines have long advocated testing as a means of opening borders. The problem was that there was neither great demand nor a national strategy for tackling this issue in the USA. Some states, such as Hawaii or New York, have mandatory testing, while others have yet to address the problem.
It is worth noting that foreign passengers from countries such as Britain, Ireland, the European Schengen area or Brazil, are still barred from entry, even with negative test results.
