The US is to end its Covid-19 testing requirement for all travellers entering the country.
The Biden administration will today announce that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will end its requirement that people entering the country test negative for Covid-19.
The move is expected to go into effect from midnight this Sunday.
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This comes after pressure from airlines and the travel industry as they stated the policy had been out of date for months.
It was having a chilling effect on an already fragile economy, according to Airlines for America chief Nick Calio, whose group met recently with White House officials.
Kevin Munoz, the White House assistant press secretary, praised Joe Biden's work on vaccines and treatments tweeting that it was “critical” to the development.
He said the CDC will monitor “based on the science and in context of circulating variants” but for now deemed testing was no longer necessary.
“I'm glad the CDC suspended the burdensome coronavirus testing requirement for international travellers, and I'll continue to do all I can to support the strong recovery of our hospitality industry,” Senator for Nevada, Cortez Masto said in a statement.
The change comes six weeks after a federal judge lifted the CDC requirement to wear masks on all trains, planes, buses and public transport hubs.
Paul Hackett, president of the Irish Travel Agent’s Association, welcomed the move and said it was “really good news.”
“There is huge demand from the Irish market for travel to the US. Not just for holidays, but for visits to friends and family.
“In fact, travel from Ireland to America is back up to about 90% of what it was before the pandemic," he told RTE.
Hackett, who is CEO of Click & Go, also expressed the belief that the decision to drop testing would also be good for the many foreign direct investment business travellers between the US and Ireland.
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