US May Expand COVID-19 Testing to Boost International Travel

Airlines for America, a lobbying group, said that they have been “advocating for the federal government to set a national standard on testing in order to lift travel restrictions. We are working collaboratively with federal authorities to restore international travel with pre-flight Covid testing.”

According to a statement by the CDC on Wednesday (as reported by Reuters), “Efforts are currently ongoing in the U.S. to assess the risk reduction associated with testing and other recommended preventative measures, determine what a feasible testing regime for air travel may look like, and gain some level of agreement on standards for a harmonized approach to testing for international air travel.”

Currently, the CDC recommends air travelers test negative for the virus one to three days before travel and again three to five days afterward.