kirkwoodj

thanks for the additional travel stress CDC

LETTERBOY

As I said, I have no inside information. I seriously doubt the mid/low-level staffer manning their Twitter does, either.

GUWonder

Trying to count on honestly getting a false negative after getting a true positive test result, all within one calendar day of scheduled departure to the US? It may take a lot more than “a few tests” properly administered before that happens.

socalflying

"CDC’s testing requirement for air #travel will remain in effect unless modified or rescinded based on public health considerations"

Such a shame the CDC isn't sharing these public health considerations with, I don't know, every other Western Democracy. Their citizens must be up in arms. /s

GUWonder

Public health considerations with regard to various communicable diseases have not been uniform across “Western democracy” countries ever in my life. This isn’t the first time that countries diverge in how they assess public health considerations and what measures, if any, to take in response to a communicable disease.

VegasGambler

Looking around online it seems like most antigen tests have about a 20% false negative rate.

I don't know if multiple tests to the same person are independent though.

socalflying

But what are these considerations? (Serious question)

That having unmasked, untested, no-vax verified people travelling on planes will cause vast spread? We've had no masks--as well as no testing and no vax verification--on domestic planes for about a month now here in the US--have there been many/any super-spreader events linked to just flying?

It's clear the keep-the-variant-out argument hasn't borne out.

Why can I take a bus across a border without a test but not a plane? Or a cruise, on which there have been multiple superspreader events? Why do these health considerations only apply to planes?

I'm not anti-vax or against good public health policy. I'm not young, and my job requires me to be in people's homes, and since this started 2+ years ago I don't get to tell them to mask up, so I've been careful. I got vaxxed and boosted and have worn my mask when indoors with folks I don't know. I have been fortunate to never get sick or test positive. However, at this point, for me, the CDC just seems to be hanging on to this one rule as it shows they're still Doing Something, and all things considered there's way less blowback with this than with masks or other potential restrictions. If there is compelling data that not testing international flight arrivals of it's own citizens, permanent residents, and those from other countries with good vax rates will drive up hospitalizations/deaths, I'm just asking the CDC to share it. I'm all ears.

LETTERBOY

Airlines press U.S. to lift pre-departure testing requirements | Reuters

This article has some comments from the UK Transport Secretary saying that he's discussed the testing rule with Mayor Pete & some Congressmen (but it doesn't say which ones, unfortunately). What's interesting to me is that the article contains no pushback from the administration, just a "No comment," from the CDC re Mayor Pete's remarks.

wooootles

We already know what CDC’s stance is. testing is here to stay until it ain’t, per their tweet. And we know Biden and his cabinet will only listen to the CDC so I don’t expect them to go against the CDC.

aj411

This. For all they know, they will drop it tomorrow but they have always put it this way: it is until it isn't,

whether it is getting burned by all of the "until" early on that they backtracked on or wanting to appear in control and not bowing to pressure, who knows at this point. The net is that it will be like every other change. Surprise, today is the day.

On the flip side, the CDC is quietly waging a media campaign to gradually show improvements and a road to normal (like the map they tweeted yesterday or day before showing most of the country at low to medium community covid. These bits of news are not accidental or coincidence.
My guess is there is someone at the CDC that has a timeline with points along the way to show slow movement so that that when they reach x date, they can announce a change based on data not what the "rest of the world" is doing

Daedalus7

I'll believe it when I see it. The issue is that "by summer" means they could announce the change on June 21, still over 5 weeks away. And we all know that people like to book summer trips well in advance, so announcing the day before summer starts isn't going to help much.

username

My trip overseas this fall partially hinges on this rule (and the war in Ukraine). If the rule is still in effect, I won't go. I don't want to risk being stuck overseas with the added expenses if I test positive. Even if I am positive, if I don't suspect I have COVID and don't test, I can fly with good conscience

All that said, I think it is smart for us to travel with some test kits regardless.

After the premature lift of the mask rule the CDC did last May, I think they are being more cautious.

COVID is over when it decides it is over, not when we say "we are so done with it".

84fiero

COVID will never be over. The virus isn't going away. So we as a society have to make ongoing decisions about what the appropriate measures, if any, are at a given point in time in light of the overall situation. And like many things in life, that involves various factors including tradeoffs and risk analyses. (At least it should - the US government has refused to shed any light on their actual analyses, criteria, or decision-making framework.) Many countries, including some that had been extremely cautious for a long time during the pandemic, are dropping or changing their testing approaches particularly for vaccinated travelers. Of course, we shouldn't do something solely because others are; but it's certainly valid to discuss what is best at this point and to expect transparency and good communication from our government.

aj411

Of course but the test before re-entry was established late last year for a specific reason, so they said, to slow down Delta so we could prep for the impact. Not stop it but to prepare and increase vaccination/immunity rates. As expected, it didn't stop this variant, vaccination rates have increased and most of the CDC equivalents around the world - even those from the strict lock-down countries like New Zealand as well those with much lower vaccination rates- are rolling back these requirements for vaccinated travelers.
Goal set, goal met, requirements adjusted.
The US seems to work more along the lines of goal set, goal met, goal changed

GloballyServiced

This is completely backwards. Covid, in the sense of "covid restrictions" are done precisely when our politicians decide they're done with it.

The virus responsible for covid is going to continue to run its course for generations, and I certainly hope humans have the mental fortitude to move on at some point.