COVID-19: USA drops testing requirement for international arrivals

The Biden administration has ended the testing requirement for inbound international traveller to the United States from midnight Sunday 12 June 2022.

The move is supported by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which no longer supports the pre-arrival testing ’based on the science and data’. Regarded as a ’suspension’ for the moment, the decision will be reviewed in 90 days so make sure you check the current status before travel.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

The travel industry will regard this as a boon to the inbound industry. Just remember that it does not indicate any lessening of the pandemic, merely in the USA’s ability to manage it. The USA still has about 120,000 new infections and about 400 deaths per day. The pandemic is far from over, so if I were you I would still be masking up, despite what abuse you may receive.