Starting Monday in the UK, passengers must have a negative Covid-19 test within three days of boarding a flight to the US.
“Today, President Trump is taking another step to protect the health of the American people,” the statement said.
But according to researchers on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid-19 Response Team, testing three days before the flight may not achieve much – reducing the risk of the virus spreading by only 5-9%.
A federal official told CNN that the new matter is just one layer in a multi-layered approach to limit the spread of the new variant, which appears to be transmitted more easily than other coronavirus strains.
In March, the CDC halted travel from the UK to foreign nationals, resulting in a 90% drop in travel from the UK to the US, from about 30,000 to 3,000 travelers per day, the official said.
In addition, the CDC has recommendations for international travelers, including taking the test one to three days before the flight and three to five days after travel, as well as staying home for seven days after travel, even if it’s a result. The test is negative.
Covid-19 tests often miss recent infections, so anyone can test negative and already be infected because it does not release enough viruses to detect it.
“Many people will miss the test 72 hours before the flight,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine, indicating that the new variant appeared in the UK three months ago and is likely already in the US.