US to implement quarantine as part of travel protocols

US to implement quarantine as part of travel protocols
President Joe Biden speaks about the coronavirus in the State Dinning Room of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, in Washington. (AP PHOTO;ALEX BRANDON)

US president establishes 14-day review committee for CDC travel protocols 

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Newly inaugurated United States President Joe Biden announced yesterday that international visitors traveling to the United States will be required to quarantine upon arrival in the country.

The new measure will expand on the requirements announced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for international travelers to first test negative for COVID-19 before traveling into the country.

According to the executive order signed by Biden yesterday, anyone entering the country will be required to comply with all other applicable CDC guidelines concerning international travel, including recommended periods of self-quarantine or self-isolation after entry into the United States.

The order noted that the country’s secretary of Health and Human Services, including through the director of the CDC, the secretary of transportation and the secretary of Homeland Security, will assess the initial CDC orders and guidelines within 14 days of the order regarding the requirements of a negative COVID-19 test for airline passengers and the feasibility of additional public health measures such as testing, self-quarantine and self-isolation, along with measures to prevent fraud.

A plan will then be provided to the US president on policy implementation, tools and mechanisms to enforce the protocols.

The committee will also engage with foreign governments, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and any other relevant stakeholders to establish guidelines.

Those guidelines should address quarantine, testing, COVID-19 vaccination, follow-up testing and symptom-monitoring, air filtration requirements, environmental decontamination standards and contact tracing.

The new protocol comes as the United States experiences record numbers of cases and deaths related to COVID-19.

Initially, the country had only required travelers from the UK to test negative for the virus prior to arrival, following reports of a new, more contagious COVID variant originating in the UK.

About Sloan Smith

Sloan Smith is a senior digital reporter at Eyewitness News, covering a diverse range of beats, from politics and crime to environment and human interest. In 2018, Sloan received a nomination for the “Leslie Higgs Feature Writer of The Year Award” from The Bahamas Press Club for her work with Eyewitness News.

5 comments

In 1 day, the economies of predominately people of color Caribbean nations were tanked

“Be careful what you wish for”. To all those in the Bahamas that wanted the Democrats you should have seen this coming. With a 14 day quarantine to get back into the United States forget about incoming tourist travel. The CDC has wanted to do this from the beginning along with no cruise travel until Q4 of 2021 or Q1 of 2022. Hold on tight its going to be a rough ride.

Reading the US CDC website, the quarantine is a RECOMMENDATION.

“CDC recommends getting tested 1-3 days before your flight AND 3-5 days after your trip AND stay home for 7 days. Even if you test negative, stay home for the full 7 days. If you don’t get tested, it’s safest to stay home for 10 days. Getting tested in combination with staying home significantly reduces travelers’ risk of spreading COVID-19.”

The test 3 days prior if coming by air is a REQUIREMENT

It’s for everyone’s good. It will help keep our numbers down. Let’s wait for the USA to achieve herd immunity when they’ve taken the vaccine and these measures should be lifted, then everyone will be free to travel once again.

Great decision by the US, unfortunately after over 400,000 lives were lost , wished the lame duck president made this decision a year ago, but instead he lied not only to he American people, but the world, I guess you are just as lame as he is

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