Coronavirus Testing Requirements Lifted for International Travelers

The policy mandating international travelers provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test upon entering the United States will be lifted this Sunday, June 12th at midnight.  The Biden administration announced today that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will no longer require U.S. citizens or international travelers arriving at American airports to provide negative testing documentation.  The requirement has been in place since January 2021. The policy change will be reassessed by the CDC in 90 days.

Cyndi Zesk, Vice President of Travel at AAA Northeast said, “We should acknowledge the work of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Dr. Ashish Jha, and others in the administration for advocating for this policy change.  While it will certainly help the U.S. tourism industry regain its footing with inbound travelers it will also instill confidence in all travelers who have been waiting to travel internationally but were hesitant due to the mandatory testing upon return to the U.S. Our surveys demonstrate that people are enthusiastic and confident about traveling internationally thanks to high vaccination rates and scientific advancements.”

A fact sheet released by the U.S. Department of Commerce this week outlines the 2022 National Travel and Tourism Strategy and emphasizes the critical role of travel and tourism for the U.S. economy.  Travel and tourism were the top services export for the United States in 2019, generating a $53.4 billion trade surplus.  While domestic travel has rebounded to nearly pre-pandemic levels, international travel lagged by 14% due to travel restrictions resulting in travel exports decreasing nearly 65% from 2019 to 2020.

AAA’s travel advisors can assist with questions regarding travel requirements and restrictions, visit www.AAA.com/Travel for more information.

AAA Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with 70 offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and New York, providing more than 6 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and auto-related services.