CDC Announces Negative COVID-19 Test Requirement from Air Passengers Entering the United States from the People’s Republic of China | CDC Online Newsroom

CDC is saying now that it will carry out a prerequisite for a negative COVID-19 check or documentation of recovery for air passengers boarding flights to the United States originating from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Exclusive Administrative Areas of Hong Kong and Macau. CDC is asserting this stage to sluggish the spread of COVID-19 in the United States all through the surge in COVID-19 circumstances in the PRC given the deficiency of sufficient and transparent epidemiological and viral genomic sequence facts currently being claimed from the PRC. These data are vital to check the situation surge efficiently and decrease the likelihood for entry of a novel variant of worry.  CDC will continue on to keep track of the situation and adjust our solution as required.

Variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus carry on to arise in international locations all-around the earth. However, diminished testing and scenario reporting in the PRC and negligible sharing of viral genomic sequence knowledge could hold off the identification of new variants of issue if they occur. Pre-departure screening and the requirement to present a unfavorable examination consequence has been shown to minimize the amount of infected travellers boarding airplanes, and it will support to slow the unfold of the virus as we do the job to determine and recognize any likely new variants that might emerge.

Starting off at 12:01 AM ET on January 5, all air passengers two several years and more mature originating from the PRC will be required to get a exam (such as a PCR take a look at or an antigen self-check administered and monitored by a telehealth services or a accredited supplier and authorized by the Food items and Drug Administration or the pertinent national authority) no much more than 2 times prior to their departure from the PRC, Hong Kong, or Macau, and show a damaging test end result to the airline on departure.

• The prerequisite applies to these air travellers irrespective of nationality and vaccination position.
• This will also implement to persons touring from the PRC through 3rd state transit and to travellers connecting as a result of the United States onward to more places.
• Along with making use of this need to direct flights from the PRC, passengers transiting Incheon Global Airport, Toronto Pearson Worldwide Airport, and Vancouver Global Airport on their way to the United States will be demanded to provide a unfavorable COVID-19 exam if they have been in the PRC in the very last 10 times no a lot more than 2 days right before their departure to the United States. These 3 transit hubs cover the mind-boggling bulk of travellers with vacation originating in the PRC and the Exclusive Administrative Regions. We will carry on to observe journey patterns, regulate our technique as required, and keep People in america informed in a well timed way.
• Passengers who analyzed constructive a lot more than 10 times right before the flight can deliver documentation of restoration from COVID-19 in lieu of a adverse examination final result.
• Airways need to verify the negative COVID-19 test final result or documentation of recovery for all travellers ahead of they board or deny boarding to the passenger.

CDC is also growing the Traveler-based mostly Genomic Surveillance application (TGS), a voluntary method that serves as an early warning process to detect and characterize new and exceptional variants of the virus that brings about COVID-19.  TGS collects anonymous nasal swabs from arriving worldwide travelers on picked flights at key U.S. international airports. The software tests for existence of the COVID-19 virus, and if it is detected, the system sequences the virus’s genome to detect any new variants. The system is increasing by including more airports (Los Angeles and Seattle)—bringing the whole amount of airports to seven and range of weekly flights protected to approximately 500 from at the very least 30 nations around the world across all Entire world Health and fitness Organization (WHO) locations.  This includes roughly 290 weekly flights from PRC and surrounding places.

TGS has established to triumph over gaps in worldwide SARS-CoV-2 variant surveillance that come about as lots of international locations minimize or discontinue testing and sequencing. In the course of the initial months of the Omicron surge, TGS detected two Omicron subvariants, BA.2 and BA.3, and documented them to the worldwide databases months before they were claimed somewhere else, demonstrating that the plan is equipped to detect variants early.

The tactic laid out, when layered with current CDC tips these kinds of as masking all through vacation, self-monitoring for signs, and screening for a few times right after arrival from intercontinental journey, will assist make vacation safer, healthier, and additional liable by decreasing distribute on planes, in airports, and at destinations and to be on notify for any probable variants emerging. Our new tests plan, together with growth of TGS, will aid to defend tourists and the health and fitness and safety of American communities.

CDC also continues to do the job with WHO and partner nations to enhance sequencing potential and boost the world-wide capability to detect new variants.

This get will grow to be successful on January 5, 2023, at 12:01 AM ET. More information will be created out there by CDC in the coming times. For a list of authorized checks, test in this article.