Tourists flying to the USA will no longer have to take a Covid-19 test from Sunday.
The USA requires incoming travellers - who must be vaccinated to enter the country as a tourist - to produce a negative pre-flight Covid-19 test taken no more than 24 hours before travel or proof they have recovered from Covid-19.
That measure will be dropped from 5.01am (BST) on Sunday June 12.
The USA's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Covid-19 now poses a lower threat, allowing it to remove the mandate for testing.
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The CDC said: "The Covid-19 pandemic has now shifted to a new phase, due to the widespread uptake of highly effective Covid-19 vaccines, the availability of effective therapeutics, and the accrual of high rates of vaccine- and infection-induced immunity at the population level in the United States. Each of these measures has contributed to lower risk of severe disease and death across the United States. As a result, this requirement which was needed at an earlier stage in the pandemic may be withdrawn."
What are the USA's Covid entry rules now?
While tourists will no longer have to take pre-departure Covid tests from June 12, they must still be fully vaccinated to enter the USA.
The CDC says: "You must be fully vaccinated with the primary series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine to travel to the United States by plane if you are a non-U.S. citizen, non-U.S. immigrant (not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or traveling to the United States on an immigrant visa). Only limited exceptions apply."
Tourists are recommended, but not required, to take Covid tests before they set off to the USA, from Sunday June 12.
Children who are not fully vaccinated can enter the USA without quarantining but must take a Covid test within three to five days after arriving in the USA.
Wearing a mask is recommended, but optional, on flights to the USA. Some airlines may require passengers to wear them.
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