US President Joe Biden will suspend the requirement for a negative Covid-19 test for tourists to enter the United States. The measure should come into force on Sunday (12).
The Democrat’s decision was taken amid pressure from airlines and tourism companies to implement measures to encourage the sector.
In December, Biden had announced changes to international travelers’ entry protocols, requiring them to present a negative Covid-19 test taken up to the day before departure.
This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decided to lift the restriction after understanding “based on the science and the data” that the requirement is no longer necessary. The measure must be re-evaluated in 90 days.
“If there is a need to reinstate a testing requirement — including due to the emergence of a worrying new variant — the CDC will not hesitate to act,” a White House official told Reuters news agency.
Last week, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said the testing requirements for entry of tourists to the US made no sense and were “depressing”. Other companies in the industry have said that many Americans are not traveling abroad because they are afraid of contracting the virus and not being able to return to the country.
In May, the US reached the one million mark of deaths from Covid-19. As of this Friday (10), 1,010,808 people have died from the disease, according to Johns Hopkins University. It is the country with the highest number of deaths recorded due to the coronavirus in the world.
