US ends testing requirement & Millions in earnings for testing centers

By Deandrea Hamilton & Dana Malcolm

Editorial Staff

#USA, June 15, 2022 – The United States has officially removed the requirement for a negative COVID-19  test to enter the country by air. The Centres for Disease Control instituted the rule for all passengers over 2 years old in January 2021.

The announcement was made on Friday June 10th and will go into effect for US-bound air travelers at 12 am on Sunday.

It is the happy ending the US travel industry had been for months driving toward, now the COVID travel entry requirement is retired.

Ninety three billion trips abroad each year for Americans; and imagine what those Americans spent on Covid-19 tests in order to return home.

The tally is staggering but since Sunday June 12, that fountain of fortune is all but dried up for the testing centers in the countries where these US bound travellers were leaving.

In Turks and Caicos Islands for example, we’re talking an estimated $70 million dollars in tests over the past 18 months.

Travelers used to have to show their negative covid tests before boarding a flight for the US. That is no longer the case, however foreign nationals must be vaccinated to take advantage of the loosened restrictions.

The Biden administration made the decision amid pressure from airlines anxious to recoup losses from covid in the 2022 summer travel season. The decision has been met with joy from travelers and airlines alike.

The CDC says they will reassess their decision in three months and if need be it will be reinstated.

This should only happen in the case of a major surge or new variant of concern.

The UK ended their similar rules in January and Canada did so in March.