Traveling Overseas? You'll Need A Negative COVID-19 Test To Return To US
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Southland residents planning to travel overseas will soon have to obtain a negative COVID-19 test before being allowed into the U.S., as will any foreign visitors to the country, under a new federal rule released Tuesday.
The regulation, announced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, requires anyone traveling to the United States to have a negative COVID-19 test within three days of the flight.
Travelers will have to provide written documentation of the test to the airline before being allowed to board their flight.
Passengers who fail to provide documentation will be denied boarding, according to the CDC.
The requirement will go into effect on Jan. 26, 2021.
"Testing does not eliminate all risk," CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield said. "But when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations."
The CDC also recommends travelers get tested again three to five days after arriving in the U.S and to quarantine for seven days.
Los Angeles County has long urged residents who travel out of the area to quarantine for 10 days upon their return.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)