Faced with the arrival of the Omicron variant, the health authorities had tightened the test procedures to enter the United States in December 2021. All travelers over the age of 2, boarding a flight from abroad to the United States United States, had to present a negative test less than a day before take-off, regardless of their vaccination status.
According to a spokesperson for the presidency, Kevin Munoz, who announced on Twitter the lifting of this requirement, the health authorities will continue “to assess the needs based on the science and the context of the circulation of the variants”.
The end of the obligation will come into effect on Sunday, according to US media.
Several other countries, notably in Europe, had already stopped requiring a pre-boarding test from international travellers.
Following a court decision, the compulsory wearing of a mask was also lifted in the United States in April in public transport, and in particular on planes.
The United States is currently registering more than 100,000 new cases of Covid-19 per day, a figure that is also largely underestimated according to experts. The recent rise has been linked to Omicron sub-variants.
About 300 people still die of the disease in the country daily, but health authorities are now highlighting the many remedies available, including vaccines but also the antiviral Paxlovid in the event of infection.
