Omicron variant: Travellers to US set to face tougher Covid-19 testing rules

The US is moving to require that all air travelers entering the country show a negative Covid-19 test performed within one day of departure in response to concerns about a new coronavirus variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said late on Tuesday.

Currently, vaccinated international air travellers can present a negative test result obtained within three days from their point of departure. Nearly all foreign nationals must be vaccinated to enter the United States. Unvaccinated travellers currently must get a negative Covid-19 test within one day of arrival.

The new one-day testing requirement would apply equally to US citizens as well as foreign nationals.

Reuters reported earlier that a draft proposal was circulating among government agencies for the stricter testing requirement.

A CDC spokeswoman confirmed the agency is working to modify its global testing rules for travel "as we learn more about the Omicron variant; a revised order would shorten the timeline for required testing for all international air travellers to one day before departure to the United States."

The administration is also considering whether to require air travellers to get another Covid-19 test within three to five days after arrival in the United States, officials said.

The CDC did not confirm that, but noted it continues to recommend all "travellers should get a Covid-19 viral test 3-5 days after arrival" and "post-travel quarantine for any unvaccinated travelers."

The stricter rules could be announced Thursday, but it was not clear when they might take effect.

CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the agency "is evaluating how to make international travel as safe as possible, including pre-departure testing closer to the time of flight and considerations around additional post-arrival testing and self-quarantines."

On Monday, the White House barred nearly all foreign nationals who have recently been in South Africa and seven other southern African countries over concerns about the Omicron variant.

The CDC now lists about 80 foreign destinations as having "Level Four," its highest level of Covid-19 transmission, and discourages Americans from travelling to those destinations.