Finally! The US Will No Longer Require Negative COVID Test for Entry

With most travel related companies begging the Biden administration, CNN is now reporting that the administration will announce today that the testing requirement for entry to the US by air will be dropped.

The US Will Drop Covid Testing Requirement

The US will no longer require the testing for passengers as of Sunday night. We will see what that actually means in terms of departure times. They are saying “midnight” Sunday night and my guess is that it is for flights that will be landing after that time.

The administration says they are working with airlines for a smooth transition so it will hopefully not be confusing for any travelers leading up to that point. Worst case, anyone departing Sunday should just get a test anyway to ensure no problems. Starting Monday, a notice from the CDC should be out far and wide.

This is huge for not just the travelers but for airlines. Not only have they had to staff more for flights heading to the US to check these testing documents but they have also had to deal with travelers who tested positive before their flight departed. The airlines have dropped their flexibility for this scenario so it was causing travelers to be on the hook for huge fare differences.

For travelers, this all but guarantees that even more will head out of the country this summer since they no longer have to worry about the positive test (particularly when they have no symptoms).

One thing we don’t know yet is whether foreigners will be able to enter the US without being vaccinated. Since many people who are vaccinated are getting the Covid variants, many countries have stopped requiring it for entry to their own countries anyway. It would be nice to see it dropped for the US as well.