The U.S. Center for Disease Control (“CDC”) has announced that it will implement a requirement for a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of recovery for air passengers boarding flights to the United States originating from the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”) and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau. CDC is announcing this step to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the United States during the surge in COVID-19 cases in the PRC given the lack of adequate and transparent epidemiological and viral genomic sequence data being reported from the PRC. Such data is critical to monitor the case surge effectively and decrease the chance for entry of a novel variant of concern. CDC will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our approach as necessary.
Starting at 12:01 AM U.S. Eastern Standard Time on January 5, all air passengers two years and older originating from the PRC will be required to have a test (such as a PCR test or an antigen self-test administered and monitored by a telehealth service or a licensed provider and authorized by the Food and Drug Administration or the relevant national authority) no more than 2 days before their departure from the PRC, Hong Kong, or Macau, and show a negative test result to the airline upon departure.
The requirement applies to these air passengers regardless of nationality and vaccination status.
This will also apply to persons traveling from the PRC via third country transit and to passengers connecting through the United States onward to further destinations.
This requirement to direct flights from the PRC includes passengers transiting Incheon International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport on their way to the United States, who will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test if they have been in the PRC in the last 10 days.
Passengers who tested positive more than 10 days before the flight can provide documentation of recovery from COVID-19 in lieu of a negative test result.
Airlines must confirm the negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery for all passengers before they board or deny boarding to the passenger.
We encourage you to reach out to your airline for the latest updates and information.
If you have any questions about U.S. visa and immigration, please contact us at info@enterlinepartners.com and speak with a U.S. immigration attorney in Ho Chi Minh City, Manila and Taipei.
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Copyright 2022. This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. This article may be changed with or without notice. The opinions expressed in this article are those of Enterline and Partners only.
