CDC tightens testing requirements for travelers amid omicron concerns
To combat the spread of the new COVID-19 omicron variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tightening testing requirements for international travelers.
Currently, airline passengers who have not recently recovered from their illness – including US citizens – must test negative for the virus before boarding, with fully vaccinated travelers required to do so no more than three days prior to departure.
But the CDC said on Tuesday that it was “working to revise” the global testing order to give all non-international customers just one day to take the pre-departure test, as reported. First report by The Washington Post.
“This reinforces already robust protocols for international travel,” the CDC said in a statement.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said in a press conference earlier Tuesday that the CDC is “evaluating how to make international travel as safe as possible,” which means shortening the testing deadlines in advance. upon departure or additional post-arrival checks and self-isolation. Period.
The agency said it continues to recommend that all travelers get tested for the COVID-19 virus three to five days after arrival and that any unvaccinated travelers should quarantine upon arrival. .
The United States is also working to prevent the spread of the virus with a new travel ban for eight countries effective Monday. The omicron variant remains undetected in the US
Also in the news:
►226 omicron cases have been confirmed in at least 21 countries, including the UK, 11 European Union countries, Australia, Japan, Brazil, Canada and Israel.
►Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has placed within the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocol and may miss some games.
📈Today’s Number: The United States has recorded more than 48 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 780,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Global total: More than 262 million cases and 5.2 million deaths. Nearly 197 million Americans – about 59.4% of the population – are fully immunized, According to CDC.
📘What we are reading: Are travel bans worth it? Experts say they can slow the spread of omicrons but they have an impact.
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Economy may take a slight hit from omicron variation in 2022, experts say
Coronavirus variant omicron could have a moderate impact on the US economy Next year, leading economists say, as it hurts consumer spending and exacerbates labor shortages and supply chain bottlenecks, fuels already high inflation.
It is too early to determine how omicrons will affect economic growth because scientists are only just beginning to assess how much of an impact it will have on global health. But under a medium-likelihood scenario put forward by some of the top economists, this strain is likely to be more infectious but not significantly more virulent than the delta variant. And it could lead to fewer government-imposed restrictions on businesses.
If so, the omicron – or another similar variant – would cut economic growth for the next year by half a percentage point to 4.3% and lead to the creation of several hundred thousand fewer jobs, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics estimates.
That would be lower than Moody’s projected growth of 5.5% this year – the highest since the early 1980s – but still a strong historic number as the nation continues to exit from the recession caused by the pandemic.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 905 points, or 2.5% on Friday, largely on worries about omicrons, but it closed up 236 points on Monday before sliding again mid-morning Tuesday.
– Paul Davidson, USA TODAY
Contribution: Associated Press