Jun. 10—International travelers will no longer have to produce a negative COVID-19 test to get into the U.S., officials said Friday morning, a rule change celebrated by the travel industry. The change will go into effect on Sunday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was expected to make a formal announcement Friday.
Since October, travelers entering the U.S. have had to show a negative test results taken no more than one day before travel, a requirement that many countries have abandoned in recent months.
The CDC has determined that the negative test requirement, which went into effect last year, is no longer necessary "based on the science and data," CNN reported. Still, the agency will reassess its decision in 90 days and will reinstate the mandate if officials decide it is necessary.
The move comes almost two months after a federal judge struck down the federal mandate requiring masks on airplanes and other public transportation.
The travel industry has lobbied against the negative test requirement for months, saying that it was hurting the industry's recovery and discouraging people from visiting the U.S.
According to the U.S. Travel Association, "international arrivals to the U.S. are still far below pre-pandemic levels and are not projected to recover to 2019 levels until 2024."
"Before the pandemic, travel was the second-largest U.S. industry export and generated a positive trade balance of $53 billion," U.S. Travel Association president and CEO Roger Dow said in a press release. "Inbound travel is critical to reducing the overall trade deficit, but the pre-departure testing requirement remains an unnecessary hurdle to regaining visitors and competing for global tourism dollars."
Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @DanielleEchev
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