The United States will require all travelers entering the country, regardless of citizenship or vaccination status, to test negative for COVID-19 within one day of departure starting at 12:01 a.m. ET on Monday, December 6.
President Joe Biden announced the rollout of the stricter requirements on Thursday in response to the recent discovery of the Omicron variant in South Africa.
"All air travelers, regardless of citizenship or vaccination status, will be required to show a negative pre-departure COVID-19 viral test taken the day before they board their flight to the United States," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed.
Citing sources, Reuters reported that the CDC is expected to give airlines a three-day grace period to allow for some travelers to return to the United States with tests taken outside of the one-day window. What's more, the White House is still weighing the possibility of granting temporary exemptions for several countries with limited access to same-day COVID-19 testing. Potential exemptions could last for about a week but more information awaits.
Travelers should also know that the federal mask mandate requiring face masks to be worn on planes, trains and public transportation has been extended through March 18.
The first official case of Omicron in the U.S. was recently discovered in California and, so far, the variant has already been reported in over 20 countries.
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