International travelers will be able to enter the United States without being tested for coronaviruses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will no longer require travelers from other countries to present a negative COVID-19 test in order to enter the United States.
The rule change will take effect at midnight.
After constant pressure from companies and officials in the travel industry, the decision was made.
The decision will be reexamined in 90 days.
Nick Calio told CNN that outdated testing requirements were having a chilling effect on the economy. The lifting of testing on international travelers has been supported by both sides of the aisle.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee held a hearing on reviving convention and tourism through international travel. The president and CEO of the American Society of Travel Advisors spoke before the event about the importance of eliminating pre-departure testing in order to revive travel in the U.S.
More than three dozen US mayors sent a letter to the Biden Administration asking for the removal of the pre-departure COVID testing.
The CEO of the U.S. Travel Association commented on the announcement.
Today marks a huge step forward in the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international travel to the U.S. The recovery of the U.S. travel industry will be accelerated thanks to this action by the Biden administration.
Businesses and workers across the country have struggled to regain losses from international inbound travel. The pre-departure testing requirement is a big deterrent for inbound travel to the U.S. according to a recent survey.
Travel was one of the nation's largest industry exports prior to the swine flu. The lifting of this requirement will allow the industry to lead the way in the recovery.
The repeal of the pre-departure testing requirement could bring an additional 5.4 million visitors to the U.S. and an additional $9 billion in travel spending through the rest of the year.
The monumental scientific advancements that have made it possible for us to reach this point were the reasons why U.S. Travel and our partners advocated for months to make sure this requirement would be lifted. We are grateful for the recognition of the economic power of travel by President Biden, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and others.
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