US administration lifts Covid negative test requirement for travelers

WASHINGTON: The Biden administration is ending the last remaining government orders designed to prevent the spread of Covid 19 by lifting the requirement of International travelers to produce negative certificates within a day of boarding a flight to the United States.

On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the ending of the requirement from Sunday morning onward, adding that the agency would continue to monitor the pandemic's level and re-evaluate the need for a test if the situation demands.

"This step is possible because of the progress we've made in our fight against COVID-19," said US Health Secretary Xavier Becerra.

Travelers have been reluctant to book international trip for the fear of being stuck in a foreign country if contracted by the virus. Because of this, tourism groups and airlines have been pressuring the government for months to eliminate the need for testing.

Roger Dow, president of the US Travel Association, called lifting the testing rule "another huge step forward for the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international travel to the United States."

Airlines have argued that the law was initially put into effect when only a few Americans were vaccinated. According to CDC figures currently 71% of 5 years of age and older are fully vaccinated. They also complained that people entering the U.S. at land borders do not need to be tested negative for COVID-19, but they so need to show proof of vaccination.

While domestic travel in the US travel has returned to pre-Pandemic levels, the most lucrative international travel for airlines has not been as popular. According to trade group Airlines for America, US international air travel in May remained 24% less than the 2019 standards, with a decline in the US as well as foreign nationals.

In order to increase tourism, several countries have lifted their law that requires travellers to have negative certificate for those who have been fully vaccinated and boosted.

Some infectious-disease experts say that the CDC's decision of lifting the ban is unlikely to affect the spread of the virus in the country.

The law is designed to prevent the importation of viruses said Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University and added that "we've got plenty of COVID here. It's like telling someone not to pour a bucket of water in their swimming pool."

Dr. Peter Chin-Hong at the University of California, San Francisco said travel restrictions show that officials are trying to keep variants at bay, "but they haven't really shown to be beneficial, ever." However, he said the requirement for foreign visitors to be vaccinated meant avoiding strain for the U.S. health care system with people at risk of serious illness.

A federal judge in Florida in April rejected the requirement of passengers wearing masks on flights and public transportation, saying the CDC had exceeded its authority. The Biden administration appealed that ruling, saying it aims to protect the CDC's ability to respond to future health emergencies, according to the New Indian Express.

The Biden administration has moved away from laws banning unnecessary travel in dozens of countries, including Europe, China, Brazil, South Africa, India and Iran, and instead focused on classifying individuals according to the risks they pose to other people. This is related to the need for foreigners and non-immigrants traveling to the United States to be fully immunized only with limited exceptions.

In November, when the highly transmissible omicron variant came to the forefront, the Biden administration tightened the requirement and required all passengers - regardless of vaccination status - to be tested negative within one day of travel to the US.