Finally acting in the face of surging coronavirus cases and after months of demands by airlines at home and abroad, the U.S. will now require arriving international passengers to show a negative test result taken within 72 hours of boarding before being allowed on a plane headed to thee U.S.
The rule, which will also apply to Americans returning home, takes effect on January 26. Canada, as well as a number of European countries, have also implemented similar rules. Canada also requires arrivals to quarantine for 14 days even with negative tests. It will replace specific rules for the UK, Brazil and a number of other countries where the U.S. already required tests or barred travelers altogether.
The airlines, which will be responsible for checking the tests before allowing boarding, have been hoping that a uniform testing rule would help revive international air travel, although the new rule could have the unintended effect of causing travelers to have to stay longer at their vacation spots waiting for a negative test.
Some states, including Hawaii, have imposed vaccination-before-flight rules of their own, but there is no national rule on domestic flights.
