The Biden administration ended requirements on Sunday for inbound international travelers to test negative for COVID before their departure to the United States, marking a major milestone in the global travel industry's pandemic recovery.
The rule was put in place by the Trump administration in the pandemic's early days in 2020 and later increased by the Biden administration. Since December, the requirement included travelers presenting a negative COVID test result taken no more than a day before their flight, or proof of recovery from the virus within the last 90 days. Travelers entering the nation through land borders like Canada and Mexico were exempt.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will reassess the decision in 90 days and could reinstate the ruling if a new COVID variant of concern arises, a senior administration said, NPR reports. Previous variants of concern include the Delta and Omicron mutate strains.
"The Biden administration is to be commended for this action, which will welcome back visitors from around the world and accelerate the recovery of the U.S. travel industry," said Roger Dow, president of the U.S. Travel Association, in a press statement. "International inbound travel is vitally important to businesses and workers across the country who have struggled to regain losses from this valuable sector."
Airlines have called on the White House to end the requirement, especially after other nations like the United Kingdom dropped their own COVID testing entry rules, arguing that it impacted the industry's recovery. Still, most non-citizen visitors to the U.S. will have to show proof of COVID vaccination before departure, an administration official said, CNBC reports.
The administration official said the easing of international travel requirements was possible due to highly effective vaccines and treatments now being widely available.