Biden’s CDC ‘Actively Looking’ at COVID-19 Test Mandate for Domestic Air Travel

The Biden Administration is “actively looking” at making COVID-19 testing mandatory for domestic air travelers, according to Dr. Marty Cetron, director for the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at the CDC.

Responding to a reporters question about the possible implementation of mandatory tests for travelers flying domestically, Cetron said there were “conversations that are ongoing and looking at what the types and locations of testing might be… We’re actively looking at it.”

“We realize that there’s been a dramatic evolution and increase in both testing platforms and testing capacity. I think this is a really important part of our toolkit to combat this pandemic,” he added.

The conversation on Wednesday stemmed from the Biden Administrations move last week directing U.S. agencies to make recommendations on imposing “additional public health measures for domestic travel,” including those crossing land borders.

Biden’s CDC has already moved ahead with implementing a mandate requiring all international travelers entering the U.S. to prove they have recently tested negative for COVID-19.

“If you plan to travel internationally, you will need to get tested no more than three days before you travel by air into the United States and show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight,” the CDC said in a statement Tuesday.

If implemented, the mandatory testing requirement for traveling in the U.S. would be one step behind some European nations and the Russian government that have rushed into requiring travelers have a “vaccine passport” to prove they have been inoculated before crossing international and domestic borders.

As governments implement COVID related mandates for travel, that will likely continue to cause friction over the mere decision to travel in the first place, recent U.S. job data shows the leisure and hospitality industry is struggling, having shed 498,000 jobs in December.

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