New US travel rules for Omicron: What you need to know

(CNN) – Just when we thought US travel rules were starting to stabilize, Omicron comes along.

The dominoes fell quickly after South African health officials informed the world of their discovery of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in late November.

The Biden government imposed controversial travel bans on travelers from eight nations in southern Africa. Travelers found themselves stranded unexpectedly. And now US officials have announced that they will tighten travel regulations again.

Things change day by day and even hour by hour, but here are some of the questions people have about US travel rules – and answers we’ve had since December 2nd.

Will the test rules for entry into the US change?

All arriving international travelers must complete a test starting Monday within one day of leaving the United States.

All flights departing after 12:01 a.m. ET on December 6th will be subject to a new CDC test order communicated by an administrative officer.

President Joe Biden speaks about the Omicron variant during a visit to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, Thursday.

Evan Vucci / AP

Currently, vaccinated travelers are required to take a test within three days of their departure. Foreign travelers entering the United States are required to be fully vaccinated.

Unvaccinated Americans and legal permanent residents are allowed to enter the country with a test within one day of leaving the United States. The new rule makes the test timeframe for everyone one day.

Biden also announced that the state mask mandate, which requires travelers to wear masks at airports, on airplanes, and on other public transportation such as trains and buses, has been extended to March 18.

A Covid-19 test center is operational on December 1st in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

Is there a post-arrival check or quarantine requirement?

There is not. “We are not announcing any steps to test and quarantine upon arrival,” a senior administrative official said in a press conference Wednesday evening.

“I will say – see if additional measures are recommended, if additional measures can be well implemented and are effective, we will not hesitate to take them, but we will not take them today,” the official told a transcript from the white man House of this briefing.

Which countries are subject to the new US travel ban?

The travel bans announced on November 26th prohibit non-nationals from eight countries in southern Africa from entering the United States. These are Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

On November 27, the CDC rated them all at level 4 “very high” risk for Covid-19. (Botswana was already at Level 4 due to the number of cases – more than 500 per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 28 days.)

Citizens of these nations and citizens of other nations who have traveled there in the past 14 days are currently not allowed into the United States.

Can US citizens who are already in these countries return?

Yes, you can.

On December 2nd, they still had to follow the rules that were already in force in order to be able to re-enter: A negative result of a Covid-19 test within three days of travel if fully vaccinated and within one day of travel if unvaccinated.

Can US citizens still travel to the prohibited countries?

Technically yes.

At least two US carriers, for example, still fly back and forth from South Africa. Delta Air Lines continues to operate between Atlanta and Johannesburg, and United Airlines continues to operate between Newark and Johannesburg.

United Airlines is also resuming non-stop flights between Newark and Cape Town, according to a press release from South African Tourism. The press release also states: “We would like to emphasize that our country remains open to all travelers who wish to visit.”

An American family stuck in Johannesburg, South Africa amid new travel restrictions from Covid-19, shares their experiences trying to return home.

Whether it is advisable to leave is another question. The CDC advises against it.

You may also encounter new travel barriers. Zimbabwe imposed a lockdown and mandatory quarantine for travelers on Tuesday, November 30, reported the state news agency NewZiana.

Traveling to southern African countries while prohibitions apply around the world could result in your being banned from entering other countries. For example, the UK does not allow anyone who has been in “Red List” countries – which include Angola and Zambia, as well as the eight above – other than its own returning citizens.

What is the US doing to detect the virus?

The CDC also confirmed to CNN on Wednesday that officials had instructed airlines carrying passengers in certain countries in southern Africa to provide the agency with those passengers’ contact information.

Airlines are already collecting contact information from passengers under a CDC contact tracing regulation that went into effect Nov. 8.

CNN Travel will update this article as new information becomes available and the rules change. CNN’s Wayne Chang, Kaitlan Collins, Jacqueline Howard, Pete Muntean, Megan Vazquez and Greg Wallace contributed to this report.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/new-us-travel-rules-omicron-what-to-know/index.html