Washington: The USA is easing its requirements for international air travellers to take a COVID-19 test a day before boarding their flights.
A senior official from the Senate, on Friday, confirmed that the mandate expires on Sunday at 12:01 am EDT noting that the CDC has determined it is no longer necessary. The official added that the agency would re-evaluate the need for the testing requirement every 90 days and that it could be re-instated if a new strain emerges.
The US administration had put in place testing before travel as it moved away from the restrictions that barred non-essential travel from dozen of countries including India.
Intially the country permitted those fully vaccinated to present a proof of negative test results performed within three days of travel, while those unvaccinated had to present reports for the test done a day ahead of travel.
The restrictions were tightened as the Omicron variant surged the daily number of cases in the country drastically.