US mandates negative Covid tests from UK travelers
All US-bound passengers traveling from the UK must be in possession of a negative Covid-19 test result before boarding their flight.
It is the latest in a long line of travel restrictions imposed on travelers departing the UK to contain the fast-spreading new strain of Covid-19, which has been most widespread in the UK so far.
Travelers from the United Kingdom need to have a negative Covid-19 within three days of their travel, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced.
"This additional testing requirement will fortify our protection of the American public to improve their health and safety and ensure responsible international travel," the CDC said.
The agency says air UK-US traffic is already down about 90% since March due to the pandemic.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic last week agreed to mandate negative tests for all passengers, and United Airlines did the same for its flights to Newark.
The new mutated strain is thought to be about 70% more infectious and has led to more than 40 countries shutting their borders to travellers from the UK or banning flights.
The CDC said passengers must test negative with either a PCR or antigen test, and airlines are ordered to deny boarding to all passengers who do not have one.
Written by Ray Montgomery, US Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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