The U.S. government announced that all airline passengers arriving from the United Kingdom will have to test for coronavirus within 72 hours of departure starting Monday amid concerns about the new fast-spreading Covid-19 variant that is said to be ‘out of control’.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement that all airline passengers arriving from the UK must test negative to fly to the United States, following the highly infectious new strain of coronavirus that has evolved in Britain that has prompted many countries to temporarily ban airlines from the UK.
The British Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment late on Thursday.
Earlier on Thursday, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines said they were requiring all passengers on flights from the United Kingdom to the United States to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure.
On Thursday, the CDC said that travellers must test negative via either a PCR or Antigen test, adding "viruses constantly change through mutation, and preliminary analysis in the UK suggests that this new variant may be up to 70% more transmissible than previously circulating variants."
Under the new policy, passengers departing from the UK for the United States must furnish written documentation of their laboratory test result (in hard copy or electronic) to the airline, the CDC said. The airlines are required to verify negative test results for all passengers before boarding and if they choose not to take a test, the airline should not allow them to board.
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The CDC said the order will be signed on Friday and is effective Monday.
Delta's policy, expanded from its decision on Monday to require the screenings on UK flights to New York's JFK Airport, is effective Dec. 24, while United's requirement begins Dec. 28. On Monday, the three airlines that operate from London to JFK Delta, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have agreed to a request from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo that they will screen passengers from Britain.