In addition to rolling back travel restrictions for travelers from the United Kingdom and European Union, the Biden Administration announced that new travel restrictions will be coming to to unvaccinated Americans returning to the USA as part of a new “public health surveillance system.”
New Testing Requirements For Unvaccinated Americans Returning To USA
Speaking at a news conference this morning, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients laid out a broad overview of the plan, which includes the following framework:
- Unvaccinated Americans will have to test no more than one day before returning to the USA
- Currently, all Americans can test up to three calendar days in advance
- Unvaccinated Americans will also have to test on arrival
- It isn’t clear if this will be administered at the airport upon arrival, administered by the federal government or on the honor system
- A new “public health surveillance system” focusing on contact tracing is under development
- Airlines will need be tasked with collecting telephone numbers and email addresses
Zients promised more details at a later point, but the announcement raises many questions, most notably: what will post-flight testing actually look like?
When I returned from my last trip, I took part in a voluntary contact tracing program and post-flight testing program from the CDC. I received a daily reminder to submit my post-flight test until I did so. But no one called or knocked on my door…
I cannot imagine the manpower or logistics are in place to do anything more than send electronic reminders to incoming unvaccinated U.S. citizens about testing requirements.
CONCLUSION
The Biden Administration will add new restrictions to unvaccinated travelers returning to the United States starting in November. While details have yet to be revealed, it appears that testing must now be done no later than the day before travel and that post-flight testing will be required, though there may not be a powerful enforcement mechanism to actually determine if this is carried out.
Creepy Joe just wants the names and info on his enemies, the unvaccinated.
Given that they are the cause of the current domestic health pandemic – he should
I know 48 people who had this Covid several work mates, my wife, and my daughter (who by the way were fully vaccinated), 8 close friends, 4 of my other children, 3 grandchildren. Myself not vaccinated and hiding out on some room away from my family never even got the sniffles. So up the vaccine.
Good. Put the screws to these “people” any way we can.
Great. Next thing you know, they’ll start targeting SWMs.
You really wanna go there?
I read in another article that they will need proof of purchasing an at-home test kit, but that seems counterproductive as it will stop people from getting a PCR test.
The biggest question that I haven’t seen an article address – does this change anything for vaccinated US Citizens, or will they still require a test within 3 days of arrival?
I find it virtually improbable that the new mandate would extend to all travelers when the unvaccinated were specifically singled out. Would be a further disincentive for those who are not vaccinated to remain unvaccinated.
I’m not saying that they would require vaccinated US citizens to have the test within 1 day of arrival, but they didn’t confirm whether vaccinated US citizens will need to still test within 3 days of arrival or if they will be exempt from any arrival testing requirement.
I don’t think either will be required of vaccinated travelers. I bet if they did away with the pre-flight testing for vaccinated travelers and mask requirement (sadly, they won’t do either because vaccines are not fail-safe but just a strong added layer of protection) there would be many skeptical Americans willing to take the jab.
Great news. I hope the on arrival tests are prohibitively expensive too. Vaccine are so easy to get in America that we need to be financially punishing folks who decide their Freedumb is more important than everyone else’s health.
Totally agree.
And we should test all Americans for smoking (far more deadly to both the user and all around them than this virus), alcohol use (dangerous to the user and often dangerous to those around them), and all other contagious diseases that anyone could conceivably be passed to another (including TB, HIV, and sexually transmitted diseases). If we have decided that an individual’s health should be mandated by the masses then it needs to be enforced across the board. This sanctimonious conditional compassion and concern when it comes to one potential ailment is vulgar.
Couldn’t agree with you more.
RYAN….couldn’t agree with you more!
We DO restrict smoking in many many jurisdictions in the United States on the mere fact that it’s a public nuisance, far flimsier grounds than an issue of public health.
No, I cannot catch HIV from just standing beside someone who either lies or is unaware of their own infectiousness.
And yes, if a massive TB outbreak was uncontrollably spreading throughout the nation with numbers like Covid and was just as easily transmissible, you bet your ass I’d push for similar measures.
Try again.
I don’t think it is legally possible to require someone to test upon arrival. Don’t get me wrong, any incentive to get the unvaccinated jabbed is something I’m in favor of, but once a citizen has been admitted to the USA, I’m not sure there’s anything that can be done at the federal level to interfere with their life after admission. If ‘required” it is almost certainly unenforceable, unless maybe purchasing an arrival day test is a requirement to check in to a flight to the United States.
I would say they could make it a condition of entry at the border, but that to me seems akin to not admitting a US citizen, which once they have reached a port of entry, is not legally permissible.
Jerry that’s what you think. lol Things constantly change so it’s entirely possible and especially possible in very strict countries like China. If they can do it in other countries why would it not be possible in The US???
Of course anything is possible, but assuming that Federal law is to be followed, there are some pretty difficult hurdles to overcome. When it comes to travel restrictions on unvaccinated travelers, I personally wish that weren’t so. As for China, lots of things happen there that don’t necessarily happen in the United States.
“public health surveillance system.” Really? That’s the best they could come up with? It’s like somebody graduated from the Meyer Lansky school of public relations.
This policy will be completely watered down. As described in the media, Biden is blocking nearly every poor person from developing country where access to vaccination is nonexistent from entering the US under all circumstances while providing access to any person from a wealthy country willing to take a shot. Team Biden will, rightly, be dragged through the coals for being a bunch of bigots. Swapping out wealthy European not being able to see family that has come to US for blocking people from underdeveloped countries from seeing family in US sounds almost Trump-like. There will be workarounds for unvaccinated foreign nationals. Joe Biden, bigot.
What media is saying this? Fox News doesn’t appear to even be reporting the easing of border restrictions on its landing page.
Just remember that a small percentage of people live in their own Faux News echo chamber that doesn’t reflect the reality most of us live in, aka the one where it’s only the anti vaxxers who are clogging up hospitals at the moment.
I’ll ignore this completely.
I’ve been in and out of so many countries, and the US, I know it will be a mess, and easy to bypass.
I vote for ‘Don’t Let Fat People In!’ as a much better policy anyway.
And diabetics. Keep them out of our hospitals!
And drug addicts, don’t let them get into the country. Or hospitals.
Anyone who doesn’t exercise 1 hour a day – DENY THEM!
Keep out the unhealthy! Segregation is back baby!! The president said so!
I am fully vaccinated. Leave me alone. Why do I need to get tested to return to the US. Demented Joe just wants to control people.
Because Lord Fauci demands it. Now mask up between bites on the plane.
Apparently “breakthrough Covid” is new news to you
Just walk over the US/Mexico border and you don’t need to worry about testing or vax status. Problem solved