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from: ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press
Posted: Nov 30, 2021 / 6:05 PM CST
Updated: 11/30/2021 / 9:44 PM CST
President Joe Biden speaks to media representatives before stepping onto Air Force One at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in Minneapolis on Tuesday, November 30, 2021 after visiting Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, Minnesota (AP Photo / Carolyn Kaster)
Washington (AP) – The Biden administration is tightening testing requirements for international travelers to the United States, including those who have been vaccinated and unvaccinated, amid the spread of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement Tuesday that they are working to have all air travelers to the United States tested for COVID-19 within a day of boarding their flight. Currently, people who are fully vaccinated can have a test within three days of boarding.
“CDC is working on changing the current Global Testing Order for travel as we learn more about the Omicron variant. A revised order would shorten the deadline for the necessary tests for all international air travelers to one day before departure for the US, “said the agency.
The exact test protocols were finalized ahead of a speech by President Joe Biden scheduled for Thursday on the country’s plans to fight the COVID-19 pandemic during the winter season, according to a senior administration official who said some details may still change.
“CDC is looking at ways to make international travel as safe as possible, including pre-departure tests that are closer to flight time, and considerations of additional post-arrival testing and self-quarantines,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky on Tuesday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the government’s plans ahead of the announcement, said the options being considered include post-arrival testing requirements or even self-quarantines.
CDC currently recommends post-arrival testing 3-5 days after landing in the US from overseas and self-quarantine for unvaccinated travelers, although compliance is voluntary and considered low.
The move comes just weeks after the U.S. largely reopened its borders to fully vaccinated foreign travelers on Nov. 8, introducing a two-tier testing system that gave fully vaccinated travelers more time to take a pre-arrival test while testing within A deadline was required for the day of embarkation for the unvaccinated.
Much is still unknown about the new variant, which has been identified in more than 20 countries but not in the United States, including whether it is more contagious, whether it makes people more seriously ill, and whether it can thwart the vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading U.S. infectious disease expert, said more would be known about the Omicron strain in two to four weeks when scientists grow and test laboratory samples of the virus.
As he tried to allay public concerns about the new variant, Biden said in his remarks on Thursday: “I will come up with a detailed strategy describing how we will fight COVID this winter – not with shutdowns or bans, but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, tests and more. “
When asked by reporters if he would consult with allies about changes to travel rules since former President Donald Trump surprised world leaders, Biden said, “Unlike Trump, I don’t shock our allies.”
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