The U.S. government does not intend to impose COVID-19 screenings for passengers traveling from Britain after the emergence of a highly infectious new coronavirus variant there, people briefed on the decision said.
This report produced by Jillian Kitchener.
The U.S. government does not intend to require passengers traveling to the U.S. from Great Britain to take COVID-19 tests before boarding their planes, sources told Reuters… despite the emergence of a more contagious variant of the coronavirus which is spreading rapidly in the UK.
The decision by the Trump administration flies in the face of even stricter measures taken by dozens of other countries, which have closed their borders altogether to UK travelers.
Sources said White House coronavirus task force members had backed mandatory pre-flight tests after a meeting on Monday, but by Tuesday that idea had been nixed.
To help keep the virus at bay, airlines flying from London to New York’s John F.
Kennedy airport have agreed to only allow passengers who test negative within 72 hours of departure to fly.
That request came from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday, who had urged the federal government to take broader action to help contain the new variant.
“Why don't we act intelligently for a change?
Why don't we mandate testing before people get on the flight or halt the flights from the UK now?” Still, preventative measures could be too late… as top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci on Tuesday told ABC’s Good Morning America that it is possible that the variant is already in the U.S..
