"US Arrivals Must Take COVID Test One Day Before Departure"

by Jo Youjin

Published 01 Dec.2021 14:47(KST)

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Amid growing concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant, U.S. President Joe Biden plans to implement travel restrictions, including shortening the validity period of COVID-19 tests for travelers entering the United States, Bloomberg reported on the 1st (local time).

According to the report, all travelers entering the United States must submit a COVID-19 vaccination certificate along with a negative COVID-19 test result taken within one day before departure. Until now, travelers were required to submit a negative test result taken within three days before departure.

Sources said that these details will be announced on the 2nd, when President Biden is scheduled to unveil a detailed strategy for responding to COVID-19 during the winter season.

Earlier, President Biden banned entry into the United States for foreigners who had stayed in eight Southern African countries, including South Africa and Botswana.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expanding surveillance programs to strengthen COVID-19 testing for travelers arriving on certain international flights at the four major U.S. airports to prevent the intrusion of the Omicron variant.

Although no confirmed cases of the Omicron variant have been reported in the United States yet, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has not ruled out the possibility that Omicron has already entered the country.

In a White House speech on the 29th of last month, President Biden emphasized, "The Omicron variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic," adding, "We have the world's best vaccines, the best treatments, and the best scientists."

He continued, "We are learning every day (about the new variant)," and said, "We will fight this variant with scientific and informed measures and speed, not confusion and bewilderment." He also cited vaccines, booster shots, and vaccinations for children as key measures.