U.S. authorities will require mandatory testing for coronavirus for those arriving in the country on flights from China starting Jan. 5.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that it will require a negative test for coronavirus or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 for air travelers arriving in the United States from China and Hong Kong and Macau.
The measure will take effect at 00:01 a.m. Jan. 5 and will apply to all passengers over the age of two. Travelers will be required to show a negative test result for COVID-19 taken no earlier than two days before departure.
New strains of the coronavirus are emerging around the world. However, reduced testing and case reporting in China, as well as minimal sharing of virus genome sequencing information, could create delays in detecting new virus variants of concern if they emerge, according to the CDC.