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CDC to Require Negative COVID Test Results for All US-Bound Travelers

Eric House - Jan 15 2021
Published in: Public Policy
| Updated Apr 27 2023
Beginning 26 January, airline passengers from any foreign country planning to travel to the U.S. must provide a negative COVID test or documentation of COVID recovery.

On 12 January, the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) expanded the requirement of a negative COVID-19 test to all air passengers entering the United States. Beginning 26 January, airline passengers age two and older from any foreign country planning to travel to the U.S. must provide a negative COVID test or documentation of COVID recovery within 3 days of travel. This requirement will last until 31 December unless an earlier revision is warranted.

This announcement comes as a group representing major U.S. airlines backed a proposal by public health officials to implement a global testing program that would require negative COVID tests before international travelers board planes to the U.S. The group, Airlines for America, includes such major airlines as Delta, United, and American Airlines among others.

The group sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence signaling their support for the CDC’s proposal, while also calling on the Trump Administration to rescind current entry restrictions on travelers from Europe, the United Kingdom, and Brazil concurrently with the new global testing protocols. However, such regional bans on travel for foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. remain in place, and will not be superseded by the CDC’s new requirements.

How This Impacts Mobility

While there are currently effective COVID-19 vaccines around the world, the novel coronavirus remains a public health threat for the foreseeable future. The move to require negative COVID-19 tests for passengers traveling to the U.S. is one vital step in ensuring an end to the pandemic, and return to normal work and travel, especially for the workforce mobility industry. Should any member have questions, please reach out to our Vice President of Member Engagement and Public Policy Rebecca Peters, rpeters@worldwideerc.org.