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Summary
- US considering compulsory COVID-19 test for all domestic flyers after reports of new variants emerge
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coordinating with other agencies to find out more about the new strain
- US has been hardest hit with 26 million infections and 425,000 deaths
As coronavirus cases refuse to abate in the US, the Biden administration is considering more stringent preventive measures, such as screening all passengers even for domestic flights.
Giving a sneak-peak on the latest development, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is coordinating the national efforts against the pandemic, said that a mandatory COVID-19 test for all domestic passengers is being seriously considered by the Biden administration.
According to Marty Cetron, who handles CDC’s Global Migration and Quarantine Division, the threat of a new variant of the virus reported in the US and other parts of the world has forced the government to consider tighter preventive measures, including related to air travel.
However, till this time, there were no nationwide restrictions on domestic travel.
Canada has reported thousands of new cases of coronavirus infection over the weekend, forcing the government to renew travel bans and other restrictions.
Some of them who had travelled to the US recently has been tested positive. Consequently, checking at the US-Canada border has been stepped up to detect sick people.
Mr. Cetron said that CDS is closely monitoring the cases in the US for the new variants of the virus.
On Tuesday, the US government made it compulsory for all international travellers to test negative before arriving in the US. However, some localities in the US, such as Washington, also require such disclosure before arriving.
The US has been the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 26 million infections and 425,000 deaths.
US President Joe Biden has made the Covid fight the top priority of his government. The Democratic leader has blamed his predecessor Donald Trump’s poor policies for the excessive number of cases, which he felt could have been avoided.
He also said that he would set up a special cell at the White House to coordinate efforts along with the CDS for control and prevention of the pandemic.
The president has also outlined a $1.9 trillion fiscal boost to ramp up anti-Covid efforts and the economy, which has been in a shamble after widespread business losses and job cuts.
