Travelers from China to US Will Be Required to Present Negative COVID Tests

Beginning January 5, all travelers to the US from China, including from Hong Kong and Macau, must show proof of negative COVID-19 results taken no more than 2 days before their flights depart.

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the requirement applies to air passengers, regardless of their nationality or vaccination status. Proof of negative COVID results also are required for travelers who enter the US from China through a third country or who are connecting to other destinations through the US.

Last month, China ended its zero-COVID policy; since then, COVID cases have increased rapidly, resulting in the highest number of cases per day in China since the start of the pandemic, according to the CDC. The new requirements are an attempt to slow the COVID spread in the US.

Several other countries, including Italy and Japan, have imposed similar restrictions.

In addition, the CDC is expanding the Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance program (TGS). This voluntary program serves as an early warning system to detect and characterize new and rare variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 by collecting anonymous samples from international travelers on selected flights at major US airports. TGS will now operate in Los Angeles and Seattle, bringing the total number of airports to seven and the number of weekly flights covered to approximately 500 from at least 30 countries in World Health Organization regions. 

Read more about COVID and air travel to/from China on the CDC website.