International travelers must now provide negative COVID-19 test to enter the U.S.

ATLANTA — Travelers looking to enter the United States from abroad will have to provide a negative COVID-19 test in order to board a U.S. bound plane. It’s the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which will go into effect Jan. 26.

“I came to the United States with a negative COVID-19 test in hand, and have it right here because that’s what you’re supposed to do,” Sally Fanjoy said. She recently traveled to Georgia from Puerto Rico to care for her grandfather. “You can see the negative result right here.”

Fanjoy, a tourism management graduate from the University of South Carolina, said travelers must be responsible, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic.

TRENDING STORIES

• Moderna working to create COVID-19 vaccine booster to protect against variants
• Publix to open up more vaccine appointments in Georgia this week
• Scared of donating blood during the pandemic? Now may be the most important time

The CDC announced a new restriction for travelers looking to enter the U.S. from abroad. All must show a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding a plane bound for the United States. Fanjoy believes it’s a great idea to keep everyone safe, but it’s not a new idea.

“The rest of the world has been implementing these restrictions for months now. I don’t know why it took the U.S. so long to do anything,” Peter Durbetaki said, co-owner of Uniglobe 5 Star Travel. Durbetaki said travel restrictions change almost daily and despite the lag, he is glad to see action by the U.S. that matches what other countries are already doing at their airports.

A positive COVID-19 test result will keep that person from traveling until a negative test result can be provided to airline officials. This may cause people to consider just how necessary their travel is.

“If you’re going to travel, you need to take the proper precautions to do so,” Fanjoy said.

If a traveler has had COVID-19 in the past three months, the required “Documentation of Recovery” would include a positive result and a note from a doctor or public health official allowing travel and entrance into the U.S.

Georgia lawmakers split on impeachment vote

Cox Media Group