What the new travel restrictions to the US mean for you

Varun Kashyap -

In early November 2021, the US lifted its imposed travel ban after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic during early 2020. Within three weeks, scientists in South Africa discovered a new variant of COVID- 19 - Omicron. This again prompted new guidelines for travelers.

Change in test guidelines

Previously, if you were fully vaccinated, you had to show a COVID-19 negative test taken within three days of your departure. Now, you need to establish a COVID-19 negative test taken before a day of your departure. This means you need to schedule a test in advance to avoid complications at the last minute.

What kind of tests are accepted?

  • Antigen (lateral flow) test or nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT)
  • RT-PCR test (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction)
  • RT-Lamp (Reverse Transcription loop-mediated amplification)
  • Transcription Mediated Amplification (TMA)
  • Nicking enzyme amplification reaction (NEAR)
  • Helicase-dependent amplification (HDA)

When are you considered fully vaccinated?

  • Two weeks (14 days) after your dose of an accepted single-dose vaccine
  • Two weeks (14 days) after your second dose of an accepted 2-dose series
  • Two weeks (14 days) after you received the complete series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine (not placebo) in a clinical trial
  • Two weeks (14 days) after you received the complete series of a Novavax (or Covovax) COVID-19 vaccine (not placebo) in phase 3 clinical trial
  • Two weeks (14 days) after you received two doses of any "mix-and-match" combination of accepted COVID-19 vaccines administered at least 17 days apart

Follow these to avoid any last-minute glitches in your travel plans.