US No Longer Requires A Negative Pre-Arrival Test

International travellers will no longer have to test negative for covid 19 before travelling to the u.s. The agency says it will continue to monitor the pandemic and reassess the requirement, if the situation changes the requirement for a negative test before flying to the states, which was put in place in January 2021. The policy change will reportedly go into effect on June 12th.

Credit: Forbes

Before the reported change, vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers had to get a test the day before they entered the US, according to the CDC’s travel requirement page. The only exceptions were children under two years old, who did not have to be tested. But, starting June 12, 2022, the CDC no longer requires air passengers arriving from a foreign country to have a negative pre-arrival test. The agency however recommends getting a viral test no more than three days before departure. The relaxed policy can also encourage an increase in international travel, which has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Besides, the removal of pre-arrival testing also means that passengers no longer need to wear a mask on flights.

In countries like Canada and Spain, vaccinated travellers aren’t required to submit tests, but if you can’t show proof of vaccination, you’ll need to have a negative test result. Japan bases its requirements on which country someone is travelling from, and Australia requires vaccination but not pre-travel testing. China takes things even further; CNN says that “most visitors” aren’t allowed into the country, and that those who are will likely have to do three COVID tests before departure.