US makes COVID-19 screening mandatory for passengers from UK amid new virus strain fear

The United States has made it mandatory for all travellers arriving in the country from the United Kingdom to test negative for COVID-19 prior to boarding flights. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Thursday announced that passengers arriving from the UK must test negative no more than 72 hours before departure to the United States. This comes after the health officials in the UK recently announced the discovery of a new strain of COVID-19 in the country. 

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"This new order is consistent with the measures that have been taken so far to increase our ability to detect and contain COVID-19 proactively and aggressively. Passengers are required to get a viral test within the 3 days before their flight from the U.K. to the U.S. departs, and provide written documentation of their laboratory test result (in hard copy or electronic) to the airline," US CDC said in a statement. 

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The CDC has said that the airline must confirm the negative test of passengers boarding their flights from the UK. The airlines have also been asked to deny boarding to passengers who do not provide negative test results prior to departure. The order will be signed today and will become effective from December 28, said CDC. 

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New strain in the UK

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson informed the public about the new COVID-19 strain on December 2 and imposed a harsher lockdown to contain the spread on Saturday. The new strain was first detected by scientists who were studying the increase in cases in the country. The medical experts were alarmed as COVID-19 cases continued to surge in the southeast part of England despite restrictions imposed by the government. 

Several countries have taken cognisance of the matter and have temporarily suspended flights to and from the UK. The new strain has also been identified in countries including South Africa, Australia, the Netherlands. 

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