White House considering stricter international travel testing requirements amid omicron variant
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Before heading to Miami International Airport, travelers pass through before beginning the Labor Day weekend in Miami on September 3rd, 2021. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 should avoid traveling this weekend. Those who are should wear their masks and take precautions due to the country’s high level of Covid-19 transmission.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Biden’s administration considers tightening the requirements. international travel amid growing concerns about the omicron variant of the coronavirus, a White House official told NBC News on Tuesday.
Officials said that the government is continuing to “evaluate the appropriate steps to protect the American population from Covid-19” as well as the new variant. They also discussed “considering more strict testing requirements for international travelers.”
The official said that policy discussions were ongoing throughout the government, and that no final decisions had been made.
This discussion follows the Federal government’s restriction of travel from South Africa to non-U.S. citizens and seven other countries as part of an attempt to control the variant. These cases were first reported in South Africa and it’s since surfaced in other countries, including Belgium, Canada and Israel.
Monday’s remarks by President Joe Biden referred to the variant as “a concern and not panic” Biden will present his plan to combat Covid-19 in the winter on Thursday.
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