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New US journey rules for Omicron: What you require to know

December 3, 2021
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(CNN) — Just when we thought US vacation policies had been beginning to stabilize, alongside arrives Omicron.

The dominoes fell immediately following South African wellness authorities knowledgeable the world of their discovery of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in late November.

The Biden administration rolled out controversial vacation bans on arrivals from 8 nations in southern Africa. Vacationers identified by themselves unexpectedly stranded. And now US officers have mentioned they will be tightening travel rules all over again.

Matters are transforming by the working day and even by the hour, but here are some of the inquiries people have about US vacation principles — and responses we have as of December 2:

Are screening policies for entry into the US altering?

All inbound global vacationers will be needed to examination in one particular working day of departure for the United States beginning Monday.

All flights departing following 12:01 a.m. ET December 6 will abide by a new CDC testing purchase, for each an administration formal.

President Joe Biden speaks about the Omicron variant during a go to to the Nationwide Institutes of Overall health in Bethesda, Maryland, on Thursday.

Evan Vucci/AP

Now, vaccinated vacationers are expected to exam within just three days of their departure. There is a prerequisite for international travelers arriving in the United States to be completely vaccinated.

Unvaccinated Us citizens and authorized lasting citizens are allowed to enter the place with a check taken in just a single working day of departing for the United States. The new rule will make the testing time frame one particular working day for every person.

Biden also announced that the federal mask mandate requiring vacationers to put on masks in airports, on planes and on other modes of general public transportation such as trains and buses has been prolonged as a result of March 18.

A Covid-19 test center operates inside the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport on December 1.

A Covid-19 check middle operates inside the Tom Bradley Intercontinental Terminal at Los Angeles Worldwide Airport on December 1.

Mario Tama/Getty Illustrations or photos

Is there a put up-arrival testing or quarantine requirement?

There is not. “We are not saying any ways on post-arrival screening and quarantine,” a senior administration formal mentioned in a press briefing on Wednesday evening.

“I will say — appear, if extra steps are recommended, if added measures can be implemented properly and are efficient, we will not likely hesitate to acquire them, but we are not using them today,” the formal stated, in accordance to a White Dwelling transcript of that briefing.

What international locations drop beneath the new US vacation ban?

The journey bans introduced on November 26 bar entry into the US of noncitizens coming from eight countries in southern Africa. They are Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

On November 27, the CDC positioned them all at Level 4 “really significant” danger for Covid-19. (Botswana was already at Stage 4 due to the fact of its caseload — a lot more than 500 for every 100,000 inhabitants in the previous 28 times.)

Citizens of those people nations and citizens of other nations who have been touring there in the past 14 days are at the moment not authorized entry into the United States.

Can US citizens previously in those people nations return?

Sure they can.

As of December 2, they even now experienced to stick to the guidelines currently in spot to re-enter: A detrimental end result from a Covid-19 examination within 3 times of travel if absolutely vaccinated and within a person working day of journey if unvaccinated.

Can US citizens even now journey to the banned nations?

Technically, yes.

At minimum two US carriers are nonetheless flying back and forth from South Africa, for case in point. Delta Air Traces is nevertheless providing Atlanta-Johannesburg company, and United Airways is however providing Newark-Johannesburg service.

United Airways is also resuming nonstop service in between Newark and Cape Town, according to a information release from South African Tourism. The release also stated, “we would like to emphasize that our place remains open for all these vacationers who want to check out.”

An American loved ones stuck in Johannesburg, South Africa, amid new Covid-19 journey limitations communicate about their expertise in attempting to get back again property.

Whether or not it is really advisable to go is one more make any difference. The CDC advises towards it.

You may possibly also face new travel boundaries. For occasion, Zimbabwe imposed a lockdown and required quarantine on Tuesday, November 30, for travelers, condition-operate information agency NewZiana described.

Going to southern African nations whilst bans are in area around the planet might result in you to be banned from heading to other countries. For occasion, the United Kingdom is not allowing for any individual who has been to “crimson listing “international locations — which contain Angola and Zambia as nicely as the 8 reviewed previously mentioned — from entering besides its very own returning citizens.

What is the US doing to detect the virus?

The CDC also verified to CNN on Wednesday that officers have directed airways carrying passengers that have been to selected southern African nations to share all those passengers’ get hold of info with the agency.

Airways have currently been accumulating get hold of details from travellers beneath a CDC get in touch with tracing get that has been in effect given that November 8.

CNN Journey will update this short article as new information and facts gets obtainable and policies improve. CNN’s Wayne Chang, Kaitlan Collins, Jacqueline Howard, Pete Muntean, Megan Vazquez and Greg Wallace contributed to this report.