20 May Travel Technology Association Renews Call for End to Pre-Departure COVID-19 Testing for Inbound Vaccinated Travelers
CDC Guidance for Domestic Travel Testing a ‘Step Backward’
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech), the voice of the travel technology industry, called guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to test for COVID-19 before domestic travel a “step backward”. The association also renewed its call for eliminating the testing requirement for U.S.-bound vaccinated travelers based on data and science.
On January 19, 2022, The World Health Organization recommended the following to state parties:
“Lift or ease international traffic bans as they do not provide added value and continue to contribute to the economic and social stress experienced by States Parties. The failure of travel restrictions introduced after the detection and reporting of Omicron variant to limit international spread of Omicron demonstrates the ineffectiveness of such measures over time. Travel measures (e.g., masking, testing, isolation/quarantine, and vaccination) should be based on risk assessments and avoid placing the financial burden on international travelers…”
In response to the new CDC guidance, Mike Liptak, Vice President of Government Relations, issued the following statement.
“Guidance this week from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommending COVID-19 tests for all domestic travelers, regardless of vaccination status, is concerning. This unnecessary precaution, contradicting the World Health Organization’s recommendation nearly four months ago, will create confusion for travelers. It may even deter travelers from making plans in the first place.
Throughout the pandemic, governments around the world implemented and revised a wide variety of vaccination, testing, and quarantine requirements, all of which failed to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Restrictions slow economic recovery, which depends on contributions from the travel and tourism industry.
Rather than take steps backward, the CDC should eliminate the 24-hour pre-departure testing requirement for vaccinated inbound passengers. More than 50 countries, including Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Argentina, lifted these requirements months ago and are already seeing the economic benefits derived from cross-border travel.
It is time for the U.S. government to ease travel restrictions and pave the way for an enjoyable and successful summer for all travelers, both domestically and globally.”
###
About Travel Tech
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) is the voice of the travel technology industry, advocating for public policy that promotes transparency and competition in the marketplace to encourage innovation and preserve consumer choice. Travel Tech represents the leading innovators in travel technology, including global distribution systems, online travel agencies and metasearch companies, travel management companies, and short-term rental platforms.
To schedule an interview with a Travel Tech spokesperson, contact Dan Rene of kglobal at 202-329-8357 or daniel.rene@kglobal.com.
