President Biden has issued US Travel Rules for incoming international travelers to have a PCR test within 24 hours of departing. A senior official in the administration confirmed the 24-hour testing requirement, which the President announced earlier today. This would go into effect on Monday, and all travelers, irrespective of citizenship status or vaccination, would be subjected to change regulation.
Previously, only those who remained unvaccinated were required to show a negative PCR test 24 hours before departure- while those who had been vaccinated had to show a test within 72 hours.
US travel rules should stop the flow of Omicron
The US Travel Rules come as part of the winter plan of Joe Biden to combat the cases of coronavirus which were detected in the country this week. Most experts believe that the cases of COVID-19 will continue to rise in the coming weeks of winter, and one would see more omicron cases in the United States in the next few days, weeks, and months ahead. The topmost doctors and scientists were working on the case and gathering data- but the earliest analysis indicates that the vaccines will provide some protection.
Along with the US Travel Rules, Joe Biden also announced a campaign that would continue to encourage the citizens to get booster shots or get vaccinated if they haven’t previously received the jab. He has also expanded access to vaccines with more appointments and longer hours, coupled with weekend availability at vaccination sites. The plan would also call for the insurers to pay 100% of the cost of testing kits.
Biden stated that he was looking towards combatting the pandemic- not with lockdowns or shutdowns- but through US travel rules, widespread vaccinations, testing, boosters and other preventive methods.