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U.S. to require negative coronavirus test from travelers from the U.K.

Miami International Airport on Dec. 24, 2020. Photo: Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

Starting Monday the U.S. will require all air travelers from the United Kingdom to test negative for coronavirus within 72 hours of their departure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced.

The big picture: More than 50 countries have restricted air travel to the U.K., as concerns have continued to grow after the nation and the World Health Organization said they'd identified a new variant of COVID-19 within the country.

How it works: Passengers will have to show proof of a negative result on a genetic swab test, known as PCR, or an antigen test that was administered within three days before their flight.

  • Airlines will be required to confirm the negative test result of all passengers before they board, and they will have to deny boarding to those who decline to show a test.
  • "This additional testing requirement will fortify our protection of the American public to improve their health and safety and ensure responsible international travel," the CDC wrote in a news release late Thursday.

United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines already had a similar policy in place for flights between Britain and the U.S., according to the New York Times.

Go deeper

Marisa Fernandez
17 hours ago - Health

Amazon offers to help Biden administration with COVID vaccine efforts

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at the White House with Jill Biden in 2016. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Amazon's worldwide consumer CEO Dave Clark has offered to help the Biden administration with its coronavirus vaccination goals by mobilizing efforts to inoculate its employees, according to a letter sent to President Biden on Wednesday.

Why it matters: As demand for the coronavirus vaccine is outstripping supply, Amazon has about 800,000 employees, many of whom are essential workers. The Biden administration wants to vaccinate 100 million Americans in 100 days.

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Caitlin Owens, author of Vitals
Jan 20, 2021 - Health

The public health presidency

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Joe Biden will take office today facing a challenge none of his modern predecessors have had to reckon with — his legacy will depend largely on how well he handles a once-in-a-century pandemic that's already raging out of control.

The big picture: Public health tends to be relatively apolitical and non-controversial. The limelight in health care politics typically belongs instead to debates over costs and coverage. But that will all change for the Biden administration.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow
Rebecca Falconer
Jan 20, 2021 - Health

In photos: U.S. cities light up for coronavirus victims

Doug Emhoff, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Jill Biden and President-elect Joe Biden face the Reflecting Pool as they observe a moment of silence at a memorial for COVID-19 victims at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Cities across the U.S. lit up to honor Americans killed by the pandemic, as President-elect Joe Biden led a national mourning during a sunset ceremony in Washington, D.C., on the eve of his inauguration.

The big picture: Standing at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, surrounded by 400 lights to commemorate lives lost to COVID-19, Biden said: "To heal, we must remember." From New York City to Miami, city buildings were illuminated as part of this "national moment of unity," as the U.S. coronavirus death toll surpassed 400,000.

See photos (<1 min. read)Arrow