PCR test within "One Day" of arrival in US

According to the news and CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html#:~:text=Air passengers traveling to the,all passengers before boarding.

the new guidance as of 12:01am EST (5:01am GMT) on December 6, 2021:

"If you plan to travel internationally, you will need to get a COVID-19 viral test (regardless of vaccination status or citizenship) no more than 1 day before you travel by air into the United States. You must show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight."

Full details are at the link.

That could be problematic if you have a post-tour stay or long layover in someplace like Dubai if flying Emirates.

Comments

  • On Tauck tours, unless indeed you are staying longer, which we will be doing on the Singapore Bali tour, flights already booked, the problem is Tauck’s as they are committed to getting us tested before we leave…if they can’t do it, they will have to modify or cancel some of their tours. If a tour ends in a remote place or in an evening with people getting flights at all different times from then until the next day and beyond…a nightmare.
    I thought the new 24 hour thing had to be a PCR test, but I’ve not looked into it in just detail. All I know is, we’ve been checking for local PCR tests with a quick turnaround snd around here we have not been able to find anything quick. I was in our local CVS just yesterday and was told results in 1 to 3 days and quote…it’s a bad time to try to get a PCR test…
    We are looking to get tested before we leave for Costa Rica next month, even though thy don’t require testing at the moment. So far, this new variant appears to affect people mildly.

  • Another reason we made the decision to cancel our December 13-20 Yuletide Christmas Market cruise. Too many unknowns to travel internationally now.

  • edited December 2021

    Note that a PCR test is not required. An antigen (rapid) test is sufficient so long as it given by a lab or monitored by a lab (telemedicine). This was and continues to be the case. Only the time frame has changed.

  • Yes, I was only referring to reentry into the US, the subject of the original post. Other countries have their own requirements and time frames. Everything is subject to change, as well.

  • milmil
    edited December 2021

    Hello everyone.
    Well here is an idea.... I read from a traveler on Euronews about dialing with new regulations to enter U.S .
    Before departing the US to Denmark he bought for him and family the Covid home test kit , that it's approved by FDA , as valid test to enter back to US.- he got it a week prior and took it with him- did all the test at the hotel before heading to airport, loaded results from the card to his phone and got home with no problems...
    Just something to think about...


    https://www.emed.com/airline-travel?gclid=Cj0KCQiAzMGNBhCyARIsANpUkzOq2mS7achA7-E71JqbyMw7Vhr7kac3SflOCOiFv9xlvRnwYJMSmFMaAor6EALw_wcB

  • $150 for 6 test kits. Not bad. I wonder about the disclaimer at the top right of the package.

  • These kits are hard to get hold of, that’s the problem now.still doesn’t help getting the PCR test to leave the US

  • AlanS hello.
    I also wonder about the disclaimer... but, I asked a travel agent and she said it is approved and it's being used with no problem.
    British, I would not wait 2 days prior to departure from US to buy it...but I tried to buy one and the process went through without a problem, I did not purchased yet, it was to get familiar with the process. They do ship them overnight FedEx

  • Thanks! We still have quite a bit of time (96 days and counting) before we need get serious about all this stuff.

    I suspect by March things will have changed, again/more- testing requirement(s), number and locations of testing sites, number of companies offering remote testing, etc., etc. It is not outside the realm of possibility that testing could become part of the airline check-in. Maybe it will be like "Logan's Run"- everyone will have an implant that continuously monitors your viral status and can be quickly scanned (in the movie when the implanted "life-clock" changed from a solid color to blinking, it was time to report to a termination facility- people were only allowed to live until age 30 :o )

  • Yikes, I’m 29 next year 😂

  • Covid test within 24 hours of boarding the flight back was mandated Dec6;we were flying out of Guayaquil on Friday at 2:30AM.We arrived at the hotel from Galapagos about 5:PM;there were two technicians waiting in the hotel lobby with their kits;they came to our rooms and took the nasal swabs for the antigen test.We we’re a little nervous about the result.Fortunately by the end of our farewell dinner we all got our results and handed the paper document as well.Well arranged by Tauck and the local tour company .At check in we had to show the document an$ proof of vaccination;we also had to sign another form attesting to the fact we were vaccinated and tested negative.After that no one bothered about any of it!Even though we had a good time in Galapagos I am relieved I don’t have to travel anytime soon to go through all the hassles and worries.

  • Just to remind folks: it's not within 24 hours of departure, it's not earlier than 1 day before. You could be tested early on day one and fly late on day two well more than 24 hours later...could be nearly 48 if you got tested just after midnight and flew just before midnight. The press has frequently misstated this as 24 hours. That's not the language on the CDC web site.

  • Just a comment on the Abbot Binax tests. We used these to come back from Canada and they worked great. Be aware that you must get the one that includes the words "Ag Card" on the box. That is the version that is proctored by telemedicine and suitable for travel. The other version (much cheaper) is for self testing and does not include the verification necessary to reenter the US.

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