New US COVID restrictions for travelers from China
Travelers from China will be required to test negative for COVID-19 before boarding flights to the US starting next week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Wednesday. The testing requirement will apply to travelers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, and covers all passengers regardless of nationality or vaccination status, the CDC said.
Americans should “reconsider travel to China, Hong Kong, and Macau,” the CDC now advises. In a travel alert published Wednesday, the agency cited “reports that the health care system is under siege,” along with the risk of new variants.
Beyond masking while traveling in places like airports or airplanes, the CDC also recommends that Americans visiting China wear masks while indoors in public.
The moves come amid the highest wave of infections in China since it eased its “zero COVID” policy in early December. The Chinese government has also begun to ease travel restrictions imposed years ago, early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The CDC is announcing this step to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the United States during the surge in cases of COVID-19 in [the People’s Republic of China] given the lack of adequate and transparent epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data are being reported from the PRC,” the CDC said in a statement.
Starting Jan. 5, airlines will be required to collect proof of a negative COVID-19 test from all passengers age 2 and older before they can board flights out of China into the US. Both laboratory-based PCR tests as well as antigen self-tests are acceptable, as long as they are supervised by a healthcare provider.
Travelers on connecting flights will also need to provide proof of a negative test.
People traveling to the US through South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, Canada’s Toronto Pearson International Airport, and Canada’s Vancouver International Airport will have to test negative if they have been in China in the past 10 days.
“These three transit hubs cover the vast majority of passengers traveling originating in the PRC and the Special Administrative Regions. We will continue to monitor travel patterns, adjust our approach as necessary, and keep Americans on the information in a timely manner,” the CDC said. .
Federal health authorities have not requested negative COVID-19 tests from any international visitors since the requirement was dropped in June. The US continues to require all foreign travelers to prove they are fully vaccinated with the primary series of COVID-19 vaccine.
Officials said Wednesday they were waiting until next week to impose the measure to allow airlines to implement the revival requirements.
“It takes some effort by the airlines to update their data systems to implement this. And so we have to make this announcement today, but it will take time to implement the program,” said an official. federal health with reporters at their briefing.
Officials on Tuesday initially acknowledged they were weighing the move, citing similar measures implemented in China by Japan and other countries. They also cited China’s own rules for incoming international travelers, which require Americans and other foreign visitors to continue to test negative.
“We have always believed that, for all countries, COVID response measures must be science-based and proportionate without affecting normal people-to-people exchanges,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters on Wednesday ahead of an announcement of the US.
Concern over COVID variants
In addition to the new requirement, the CDC said it is moving to expand its current variable surveillance efforts to two new international airports in Los Angeles and Seattle. To see also : Lavrov from Russia said that the United States was involved in the war in Ukraine.
The agency has already been tracking variants over the past few months seen in voluntary tests collected from incoming international travelers. Wastewater collected from some aircraft bathrooms is now being tested for variants, the CDC says.
A total of about 290 weekly flights from China and neighboring countries will be covered by the program once expanded, the CDC said.
“We have very limited information in public databases about variants currently circulating in China. In the last few months, only about a hundred sequences have been uploaded,” the federal health official said.
They cited the potential threat of the virus as it infects large numbers of “immunologically naïve” people in China.
“What we are concerned about is a new variant that could actually emerge in China, with so many people in China infected in a short period of time, there is a chance or probability that a new variant will emerge,” a said the officer. .
Scientists have expressed frustration over a thin variant sequence released from China amid the country’s current wave of infections, except for the handful of travelers.
All current versions circulating in China are Omicron offspring, Chinese state media said, citing their country’s health officials, with BA.5.2 and BF.7 leading infections in the country.
What is known about the BF.7 version
First noted earlier this year, these two strains make up a fraction of the virus circulating in the US so far. Instead, CDC estimates rank the BQ.1, BQ.1.1, and XBB strains as far ahead of them nationwide.
Infections linked to XBB have increased across the North East in recent weeks, accounting for more than half of all new infections across the region. Ahead of Christmas, federal data shows hospital admissions reach some of the highest rates since last February in the North East.
Scientists believe a strain called XBB.1.5 is behind the renewed surge, with immune-modulating mutations that appear to bind well to human cells.
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Air travel: All non-US, non-US immigrants traveling to the United States by air must show proof that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Only limited exceptions apply.
This means that as of 12:01 AM ET on June 12, 2022, all air passengers, regardless of citizenship or vaccination status, are no longer required to show a negative COVID-19 viral test result, or documentation of recovery from COVID- 19, before boarding a flight to the United States.
Does US require Covid test to return?
All travelers coming to or returning to California from other states or countries should follow the CDC’s travel guidance. On the same subject : Meeting of Deputy Secretary Sherman with Samoan Prime Minister Fiame – United States Department of State. All travelers entering or returning to California from other states or countries should be tested 3-5 days after arrival.
Can unvaccinated people travel to the United States of America 2022? All non-immigrant, non-US air travelers to the United States must be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination status before boarding a plane to the United States.
Do I need a negative test to enter the US?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an Order on January 12, 2021 requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 for all . passengers coming from a foreign country to the US. This may interest you : Are there any travel restrictions in December 2022?.
Do I need Covid test to enter USA 2022?
Effective June 12, 2022, at 12:01 a.m., a negative COVID-19 test is no longer required for any travelers to the United States. Vaccine requirements for non-US travelers and non-immigrant travelers remain in effect.
Will US remove Covid test CDC?
On June 10, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the Order entitled “Requirement for Pre-event Negative COVID-19 Test Result or Documentation of Recovery from from Canceling a Rejection. COVID-19 for all Airline or other Aircraft Passengers Arriving on the…
When will the CDC test go up to enter the US? This means that starting at 12:01 AM ET on June 12, 2022, air passengers will not be required to be tested and show a negative COVID-19 test result or show documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding a flight to the United States. regardless of vaccination status or citizenship.
