Greater than 260 entities — which include airlines, airport authorities multinational lodging companies, cruise lines, national associations, convention and visitors bureaus, and companies — have sent a joint open letter to the coronavirus response coordinator of The White House asking for the requirement of testing inbound international passengers who have been fully vaccinated to be terminated as soon as possible.
Urgent Call For Ending Pre-Departure Testing by Greater Than 260 Entities
“Stronger immunity provided by vaccinations, boosters and prior infections, as well as effective treatments to prevent the worst outcomes of COVID-19, have enabled Americans to safely return to normal activities without requirements for indoor mask usage, frequent testing and physical distancing. These facts strongly support the elimination of the pre-departure testing requirement for vaccinated international air travelers to the United States”, according to this press release from U.S. Travel Association. “While there is no longer a need for an inbound testing requirement for vaccinated travelers, the letter notes that the economic costs associated with maintaining the measure are significant, with international travel spending a staggering 78% below 2019 levels. Eliminating the pre-departure testing requirement for vaccinated travelers would accelerate the return of international travel to and from the U.S. without increasing the spread of COVID-19.”
Coordinated by U.S. Travel Association, the letter has been replicated below verbatim — with the exception of the listing of all signatories:
Dr. Ashish Jha
Coronavirus Response Coordinator
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
May 5, 2022
Dear Dr. Jha:
We encourage the Administration to expeditiously terminate the inbound testing requirement for vaccinated air travelers.
As President Biden said in his State of the Union speech, we have now reached a new moment in the fight against COVID-19. Stronger immunity provided by vaccinations, boosters and prior infections, as well as effective treatments to prevent the worst outcomes of COVID-19, have enabled Americans to safely return to work, schools and normal activities—all without the need for indoor masks, frequent testing and physical distancing. These factors strongly support the elimination of the pre-departure testing requirement for vaccinated international air travelers.
The wide range of public health tools to effectively manage COVID-19, combined with hospital- grade ventilation systems onboard airplanes and the inbound vaccination requirement, have also made international air travel safer than ever. While there is no longer a need for an inbound testing requirement for vaccinated travelers, the economic costs associated with maintaining the measure are significant:
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- Business travel spending was still 56% below 2019 levels; and
- International travel spending was still down a staggering 78% compared to 2019.
Many foreign governments with similar infection, vaccination and hospitalization rates—including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada—have eliminated pre-departure testing requirements for vaccinated travelers. Further, since the federal government does not require negative tests for entry at our land-border ports of entry with Canada and Mexico, it no longer makes sense to keep a pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirement in place for vaccinated inbound international air travelers to the U.S.
Given the slow economic recovery of the business and international travel sectors, and in light of medical advancements and the improved public health metrics in the U.S., we encourage you to immediately remove the inbound testing requirement for vaccinated air travelers.
U.S. Travel Association is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the travel industry that generates $2.3 trillion in economic output and supports 15.3 million jobs. The mission of U.S. Travel Association is to increase travel to and within the United States.
Final Boarding Call
At least 49 countries and territories around the world no longer require testing for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus — nor do they require quarantine or isolation — regardless of the vaccination status of inbound international passengers. That list has been increasing.
As the pandemic appears to be phasing into endemic status, the United States should be one of those countries. The time to expeditiously terminate the inbound testing requirement for all international air travelers is long overdue, in my opinion.
Photograph ©2020 by Brian Cohen.
