The U.S. ends Covid-19 testing requirements

The measure aiming to limit the spread of the virus was recently lifted by the Biden administration, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that the decision will be implemented starting the end of this week.

Nevertheless, the situation related to the pandemic will be continuously monitored for any further changes requiring new preventive health-related measures.

“This step is possible because of the progress we’ve made in our fight against COVID-19,” declared Xavier Becerra, the U.S. Health Secretary.

“The whole industry has been waiting for this announcement,” Martin Ferguson, spokesman for American Express Global Business Travel, also commented.

The move comes after the travel industry has repeatedly pressed the presidential administration to remove the testing regulations in order to boost international visits to the United States. Roger Dow, president of the U.S. Travel Association, declared that the decision is “another huge step forward for the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international travel to the United States”, which is expected to slowly reach pre-pandemic levels.

According to health experts, the CDC ending the requirements is unlikely to cause any further infections across the U.S., as the virus is already present among the local population.

Nevertheless, as Dr. Peter Chin-Hong at the University of California declared, requiring foreign visitors to be vaccinated is a logical action protecting both the people and the U.S. health-care system.

Airlines estimate that the latest decision of the Biden administration will translate into 4.3 million passengers during the next year, as well as higher flight fares.

However, as an extra safety precaution, the CDC encourages people to still take a Covid-19 test before travelling to their U.S. destinations of choice.

 

Source: voanews.com