The Biden administration will lift the federal mandate requiring international arrivals to the United States to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test as a condition for entering the country.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s rule will be lifted Friday night, marking the end of a policy that has been in place since early 2021, a White House official confirmed to the Washington Examiner.
COVID TESTING TO TAKE BACK SEAT AS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION RATIONS FUNDS
“@CDCgov will evaluate its need based on the science and in context of circulating variants,” White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said.
The CDC will reassess its decision in three months to determine whether the rule should be reinstated if a new concerning variant arises.
The rule change comes amid ramped-up pressure on the administration from the airline industry to repeal the rules. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said last week that the testing requirements were “nonsensical” and were “depressing” travel, according to Reuters.
“We’re really frustrated, and this is something that is damaging not only U.S. travel, but it just doesn’t make sense,” Isom said.
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The U.S. stands out as one of the relatively few remaining countries that require a negative test within a day of departure for all who come into the country. Canada, for instance, dropped the pre-arrival testing requirement for vaccinated travelers arriving in Canada via land or air on April 1. Many European countries such as Italy and Greece have also lifted their pre-arrival test requirements this spring, teeing up a busy summer for tourism.
