Airlines For America Backs Program for Universal COVID-19 Testing Program

Airlines for America (A4A) on Monday said it backs a plan by public health officials for a worldwide program that would require passengers to provide a negative COVID-19 test before flying into the United States.

The story was first broken by Reuters News Service.

Airlines for America is the industry lobby group that represents such major airlines as American, United and Delta, as well as other U.S. carriers.

In a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, A4A asked the Trump administration "to move ahead with recommendations to rescind current entry restrictions on travelers from Europe, the United Kingdom and Brazil as soon as possible ... concurrently with the testing program."

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In November, Reuters reported that the White House was considering rescinding restrictions that ban most non-U.S. citizens from traveling to the United States from the 26 members of the Schengen area that allow travel across open borders in Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Brazil.

"We believe a well-planned program focused on increasing testing of travelers to the United States will further these objectives in a much more effective way than the blanket travel restrictions currently in place," the airlines' letter said.

The idea of a negative test requirement has been floated for some time now, although in various forms including a domestic testing program. It is not known if that is still on the table.

Instead, A4A is backing a proposal by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement "a global program to require testing for travelers to the United States.”

The White House coronavirus task force is expected to meet today, Tuesday, Jan. 5, and the issue is scheduled to be discussed, officials said.