WASHINGTON: The USÂ government would require all airline passengers arriving from the UK to test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of departure beginning Monday (Dec 28) amid issues about a new coronavirus variant that may be more transmissible.
The Facilities for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mentioned in a press release that each airline passengers arriving from the UK should test negative in order to fly to the USA.
The decision was a turnaround after the Trump administration informed US airlines on Tuesday it was not planning to require any testing for arriving UK passengers.
The decision follows the emergence of an extremely infectious new coronavirus variant in Britain that has prompted many nations to close their borders to passengers from there.
Earlier on Thursday, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines said they had been requiring all passengers on flights from the UK to the USA to show a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure.
The CDC mentioned late on Thursday passengers should test negative through either a PCR or Antigen test. The CDC mentioned, “viruses continuously change by way of mutation, and preliminary analysis within the UK means that this new variant could also be up to 70 percent more transmissible than previously circulating variants”.
The CDC is noted that in March President Donald Trump suspended entry of almost all overseas nationals who visited the UK previously 14 days, which has reduced air travel to the US from Britain by about 90 percent.
Under the new policy, passengers departing from the UK for the USA should show written documentation of their laboratory test end result (in hard copy or digital) to the airline, the CDC mentioned.
Airlines should verify negative test results for all passengers before they board. If passengers choose not to take a look at it, the airline should deny boarding.
The CDC mentioned the order will likely be signed on Friday and is effective Monday.
Delta’s policy, expanded from its decision on Monday to require the screenings on UK flights to New York’s JFK Airport, is effective Dec 24, whereas United’s requirement begins Dec. 28.
On Monday, the three airlines that fly from London to JFK Delta, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic – agreed to a request from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo that they screen passengers from Britain.
US airlines have already drastically scaled again flying to the UK, as well as the rest of Europe.
