COVID-19 Tests Required For International Air Travel to U.S.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will require negative COVID-19 tests for international air travel to the U.S. Here’s what you need to know.

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Starting January 26th, air travelers to the U.S. will be required to test negative for COVID-19. Passengers who do not present the airline with proper documentation will be denied boarding.

This is the same rule that’s already in force for travel from Great Britain. It will now be applied to all inbound international flights, no matter where they are coming from. Children under two years old are exempt. American citizens and U.S. residents are not exempt.

What Passengers Need to Provide

Before boarding, passengers will must show written proof (paper or electronic) that they’ve tested negative for COVID-19 no more than three calendar days before departure. The CDC only requires a viral test, one which tells if you have the virus at the time of testing. That leaves a couple of options:

• A PCR test — Most accurate, but takes longer to get results.
• Rapid antigen test — Results are available quickly, often in as little as 15 minutes, but results are far less accurate.

In most cases, I’d recommend taking the rapid antigen test. If you have no reason to believe you have the virus — i.e., no symptoms, no close contact with Covid-19 patients — then this test will save you time, money and hassle. This is especially true in parts of the world where there is minimal community spread.

But remember, the rapid tests are less reliable and false positives occur regularly. You do not want a false positive just before your flight. So it’s a good idea to take the rapid test early, up to three days before departure. That should leave enough time to get a second opinion, in the form of a more reliable PCR test.

Already had Covid-19?

The CDC does not require a test from anyone who has tested positive within the past three months, so long as they’ve recovered. Anyone who meets this criteria will need to show documentation of their positive test result, along with written clearance to travel from their health care provider or a public health official.

If it’s been more than three months since a positive COVID-19 test, then the airline will ask to see a new, negative test taken in the previous three days.

Complicating International Travel

As if international travel wasn’t complicated enough, this new rule adds immeasurably to its complexity. The new rule applies to inbound travel to the United States. It has no relation to any requirements imposed by the country you might plan to visit.

So travelers will have one set of rules when they leave the USA, and another when they return. It’s one thing to get tested while still at home. But it is something else altogether to get tested in a foreign country.

My wife and I have been planning our anniversary trip to Belize. Before leaving home, we plan to get tested and to fulfill all the health requirements imposed by that country.

We did not plan for additional testing in Belize. But under the new rules, we’ll have to interrupt our socially-distanced vacation time to find a clinic and get tested. Thanks to Caribbean Lifestyle, I’ve found a few locations to get this done. None are close to where we’re planning to stay.

Why Is This Happening Now?

If the new rule seems designed to keep people at home, I’d say that is exactly its purpose.

The rule comes when much of the world is seeing huge spikes in COVID-19 cases. We were warned that it would be worse during the winter months, and those dire warnings have proven to be true. For this reason, I was already planning to stay home for much of this winter.

But we’re also seeing new strains of COVID-19. These strains are highly transmissible and could make a bad situation worse. The first of these new strains was found in Great Britain. It is no coincidence that flights from the UK were the first to be subject to the CDC’s new pre-flight testing rule.

The CDC and other health officials have been urging people to stay at home for quite some time. And this new rule will prompt many people to cancel their travel plans.

Final Thoughts

The CDC will now require negative COVID-19 tests for international air travel to the U.S. The only exceptions will be for children under 2 years old.

This will most certainly complicate international travel even further. If you still decide to travel, have a plan to get tested before you come home. You might be able to get a rapid test at your departure airport, but that may be too late if you get a false positive. So earlier testing is better. Make any necessary appointments, and be sure you can get the results in plenty of time before your return flight.

Also remember, if you test positive, you’ll be staying put until you’re cleared to travel once again.

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