US government urges Americans not to travel abroad after new testing requirement goes into effect

The US government is urging Americans not to travel abroad after new restrictions went into effect Tuesday requiring all passengers traveling by air to present negative Covid-19 tests taken within three calendar days of departure or proof of recovery from the virus within the last 90 days. "Seriously reconsider going overseas right now," acting Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Ian Brownlee said Tuesday. "US citizens who choose to go abroad, whether it's for a holiday or a genuine emergency, everyone needs to be prepared to be potentially seriously disrupted in their trips. If you cannot easily access a Covid-19 test, or if you test positive, you will end up overseas for much longer than you planned... If that happens, you will be responsible for covering your own lodging and medical costs during that time." The CDC director for the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Marty Cetron, said on the same call that the "bottom-line message is this is really not a time for people to be engaging in discretionary travel, and that all travel should be postponed until we get a better handle on getting this virus under control, and accelerating our vaccination strategies."<br/>