EPIDEMIC: The measure, which will come into effect on Monday, requires a Covid-19 test carried out within 72 hours of departure from the United Kingdom
The United States is in turn trying to protect itself from the new mutated strain of Covid-19. All travellers on flights from the United Kingdom will be required from Monday to present a negative Covid-19 test to be admitted to the United States, US health authorities announced Thursday. This test should have been done within 72 hours of departure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
“This additional testing requirement will strengthen the protection of the American public to improve their health and safety, and to ensure responsible international travel,” the CDC statement said.
The move follows the appearance in Britain of a new mutated variant of the coronavirus that is much more contagious than previous ones, and which has prompted many other countries to suspend or restrict their air links with the United Kingdom, or to demand negative tests to let travellers in.