US will require travelers to test negative for COVID-19 24 hours before their flight

The United States will require from next Monday all travelers who travel to its territory to present a negative test for coronavirus in the 24 hours prior to their flight, regardless of their vaccination status or country of departure, in order to slow down a possible spread of the new variant of COVID-19, omicron.

It is one of the measures announced this Thursday by the Administration of US President Joe Biden, within its winter plan against COVID-19, which has eight more provisions.

Until now, the United States required pre-departure coronavirus testing for vaccinated and unvaccinated air travelers, but was stricter for those who have not received the inoculations.

In fact, the unvaccinated had to present a negative test in the 24 hours before the flight, while the vaccinated had to do the same, but in the previous 72 hours.

“This stricter time frame for all travelers provides an additional degree of public health protection as scientists continue to evaluate the omicron variant.”Said a senior US official, who preferred to remain anonymous.

This source ruled out that travelers have to remain in quarantine for a certain time after their arrival or undergo another coronavirus test two or three days after stepping on US soil, as several media outlets in the country had advanced.

Beyond protocols for travelers, Biden’s winter coronavirus plan includes measures to push the booster shot among all adults; expand the number of inoculations among children; increase access to free tests at home; and increase protections in workplaces.

In addition, Biden’s program, announced Thursday by the White House, will reinforce rapid response teams to help combat possible spikes in cases and ensure the supply of COVID-19 treatment pills once they are approved by the Administration of Food and Drug Administration (FDA), among others.

Although the high official acknowledged in the call that the new omicron variant is “reason of concern“In the United States, he asserted that” it is not a cause for panic. “

“We have the tools we need to face this variant and continue to advance in our fight against the virus. We are using them to keep the population safe, keep our schools open and protect our economy”, He sentenced.

The United States confirmed this Wednesday the first case in its territory of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, which has been detected in California and corresponds to an individual who returned to the United States from South Africa on November 22.

In the United States, the country hardest hit by the pandemic with more than 780,000 deaths, almost 20% of its population has also already received the booster dose of available serums.