USA ends pre-arrival Covid testing requirement

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA has announced that arriving passengers on international flights are no longer required to show a negative Covid-19 test result or documentation of recovery.

In a statement, CDC confirmed that the Order requiring passengers to show a negative test result would be rescinded effective from June 12th.

“This means that starting at 12:01AM ET on June 12, 2022, air passengers will not need to get tested and show the Covid-19 test result or documentation of recovery from Covid-19 prior to boarding a flight to the USA,” CDC said.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has now shifted to a new phase, due to the widespread uptake of highly effective Covid-19 vaccines, the availability of effective therapeutics, and the accrual of high rates of vaccine- and infection-induced immunity at the population level in the United States. Each of these measures has contributed to lower risk of severe disease and death across the United States. As a result, this requirement which was needed at an earlier stage in the pandemic may be withdrawn.”

CDC is still recommending that passengers get tested for current infection as close as possible to departure and not travel if they are sick.

The US government still requires all international passengers to be fully vaccinated to enter the country, but there are exemptions for travellers under the age of 18 and those from countries with limited vaccine availability.

Click here for the full details of entry requirements on the CDC website.