Lawmakers Make Push to End Negative COVID Test for Vaccinated Passengers Flying to United States
For well over a year, any and all people flying into the United States from abroad have been required to show proof of a negative COVID test for reentry. Now, many are calling on Washington and the Biden administration are calling on an end to this requirement for vaccinated individuals including they mayor of Orlando and Orange County, Florida.
Per the Orlando Sentinel; a letter has signed by 38 mayors from across the United States, including Mayor Buddy Dyer of Orlando and Jerry Demings of Orange County, Florida and eight additional mayors from Florida; to the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, Dr. Ashish Jha. The letter requests that the requirement of providing a negative COVID test taken no more than one day prior to flying into the United States is suspended.
The letter states:
This requirement makes little sense considering that nearly all other sectors of the U.S. economy are operating without a testing requirement. Stronger immunity provide by vaccinations, boosters, and prior infections, as well as effective treatments to prevent the worst outcomes of COVID-19 have enabled Americans to safely return to work, schools, and public activities – all without the need for a testing requirement.
Lawmakers aren’t the only ones calling for an end to the testing requirement. Airlines, travel companies, as well as many travelers themselves have been calling for an end to this COVID testing requirement for some time now.
In recent months, domestic travel such as Walt Disney World vacations has come back strong – even exceeding pre-COVID levels in some cases. However, international travel still lags some mainly in part to this negative COVID test requirement.
In a recent survey, 54% of international travelers from select countries in Europe in Asia found that the requirement for a negative COVID test to enter the United States has impacted their decision to the visit. In addition, 71% of adults surveyed stated that they choose where they spend their travel dollar by those destinations that have little to no protocols for entry.
Has the requirement of a negative COVID test to enter the United States made you reconsider international travel? Let us know in the comments below.
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Image Credit: Videvo.net
Source Credit: Orlando Sentinel