Rep. Jack Bergman and 13 of his colleagues sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting the elimination of pre-departure COVID-19 testing mandates for passengers traveling to the United States.
The federal government currently requires proof of a negative COVID-19 test one day before flying to our country. As the impact of COVID-19 dwindles, this mandate no longer serves our public health needs and creates an undue burden on all travelers – whether they are Americans returning home, family and friends who wish to visit the United States, or tourists.
Additionally, the pre-departure testing mandate harms U.S. tourism and discourages travel for Americans desiring to fly on U.S. airlines overseas. With other countries, including the United Kingdom, already making science-based decisions to drop similar mandates, our leaders should remove this complication for travel and return to normalcy.
The letter received the support of Airlines for America and the U.S. Travel Association.
“We are encouraged that Covid-related restrictions have been lifted in countries around the world and in all 50 states. Now, it is past time to eliminate Covid-era policies, including pre-departure testing, which hinder the recovery of air travel and our nation’s economy,” said Sharon Pinkerton, A4A SVP, Legislative and Regulatory Policy.
The full text of the letter can be found here or below:
Dear Mr. President:
We write in support of eliminating pre-departure COVID-19 testing for passengers traveling to the United States. We have made great progress in understanding and combatting COVID-19 over the past two years, and it is now past time to safely return normalcy and efficiency to international travel.
As you know, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) order, “Requirement for Proof of Negative COVID-19 Test or Recovery from COVID-19 for All Air Passengers Arriving in the United States,” has mandated pre-departure testing one calendar day prior to flying into our country. With worldwide COVID-19 levels declining and an array of widely available vaccines and treatments, America remains behind the curve as foreign governments are already making science-supported decisions to end these mandates.
Continued pre-departure testing maintains an unnecessary barrier that discourages travel and burdens passengers with the additional cost and hassle of taking a test, with no demonstrable benefit. The travel industry and our small businesses, as well as Americans and their loved ones abroad, have all felt the impacts of these restrictions.
We strongly encourage your Administration to eliminate the burdensome pre-departure testing requirements to travel to the United States. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,
Jack Bergman
