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President Joe Biden is ordering federal agencies to force international travelers to self-quarantine upon arrival in the United States, which airline industry groups are opposed.
Groups representing the U.S. travel industry and airlines voiced opposition on Friday to mandatory quarantines for air passengers arriving in the United States from overseas a day after President Joe Biden signed an order to take this step.
Biden on Thursday issued an executive order ordering federal agencies to require international air travelers to quarantine upon arrival in the United States. His administration is also implementing a requirement that all passengers bound for the United States aged two years and over prove negative for the COVID-19 test within three days before travel. The requirement goes into effect Tuesday.
The US Travel Association, an industry group representing businesses, including hotels and airlines, said the mandatory negative test requirement eliminates the need to quarantine returning passengers, a step it says ” could be extremely difficult to apply ”.
The group represents a range of travel-related businesses, including hotels, car rental companies, tourism agencies and entertainment companies.
During a briefing on Friday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki did not provide details on steps the administration could take to enforce quarantine requirements.
Airlines for America, a group representing major US airlines, has said separately that it hopes the White House will recognize that “the tests can be used to resume travel safely without quarantine, which is difficult to enforce and turns out to be often ineffective ”.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a seven-day quarantine for air travelers arriving in the United States after being tested.
Biden also ordered federal agencies to implement a mask-wearing warrant for interstate transportation of passengers on trains, buses, and air travel. The president ordered the agencies to make recommendations to “impose additional public health measures for domestic travel,” which administration officials say could include a negative COVID-19 test before flying into the country .
US Travel Association chief executive Roger Dow said in a statement that the group does not believe making mandatory testing before domestic travel is “feasible or viable.”
The Biden administration has announced plans to reimpose entry bans on most non-U.S. Citizens who have recently visited Brazil and most of Europe. Former President Donald Trump previously issued an order lifting the restrictions.
Biden issued a separate order on Wednesday directing agencies to require the use of masks in federal buildings and on federal lands.
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