June 12, 2022
In great news for those bound for the United States via the air, the US Government earlier this week announced that they would be dropping pre departure Covid testing requirements for in-bound international air travelers. The 17 month testing order was officially rescinded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director’s Rochelle Walensky issuing a four page order lifting the mandate effective as of 12.01am ET today (Sunday 12th June). This effectively meant that all travelers departing from Australia after 3.01pm AST Sunday June 12 were no longer required to test before departure meaning the much disliked requirement is now officially over. Prior to today all inbound international air travelers destined for the USA irrespective of US Citizenship had to undergo a costly commercial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or Supervised Rapid Antigen Test or Antigen Rapid Test (ART) as they are commonly referred to Stateside. The cumbersome test requirement often made preparing to travel to the USA difficult as it had to completed within one day of departure requiring a testing provider who could guarantee a quick turn-around time adding a greater complexity, cost and indeed uncertainty to any travel plans to the USA. The testing mandate also baffled many who couldn’t understand why it only applied to air travelers not those arriving by land borders creating a possible go around to the mandate via first flying to Mexico or Canada.
Putting aside the debate over the merits of the former requirement, for most travelers this should come as great news and a relief not only making travel more affordable and streamlined to the US with less costly formalities to complete but also helping to alleviate the uncertainty of the possibility of a positive Covid diagnosis causing an expensive derailment to your US travel plans. With Australia also scrapping all forms of pre departure testing back in April the latest news from The USA essentially opens the door for testing free travel both ways between Australia and the United States joining the likes of the United Kingdom, Canada, Singapore and many European destinations which have also either wholly scrapped pre departure tests for all or only fully vaccinated travelers. Keep in mind in what might be viewed as being behind those across the Atlantic in the UK and throughout Europe, The USA still requires foreign nationals to be fully vaccinated to enter the country with little exceptions so it is still important that travelers have the the eligible paperwork organized to enter and for Australian citizens a valid ESTA is still required as always if entering under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)
In publicly addressing the decision, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra was noted in saying That the CDC decision is based on science and available data, and said the agency “will not hesitate to reinstate a pre-departure testing requirement, if needed later.” This means the US Centre’s for Disease Control has decided they will reassess their decision in 90 days and essentially keeps the door ajar to potentially reinstate the testing requirements should a new variant of concern to US officials arise in the future. In what was a eagerly awaited judgment, a US Federal Court Judge in Florida overturned the CDC’s Public transportation mask mandate which required mask wearing on planes and airports in the United States declaring the mandate unlawful and ordering the Biden Administration to stop enforcing it. With the US Justice Department appealing the ruling and the CDC disagreeing with the ruling it is unsurprising the agency still recommend travelers wear masks and get COVID-19 tests before and after international flights which is advise you are free to consider or not prior to travelling to and within the United States.
