But the resolution provoked criticism and alarm from different corners of the public well being subject.
Meegan Zikus, a bioethicist at Grand Valley State University in Michigan who’s immunocompromised, stated lifting the mandate “completely disregards the safety and well-being of people who are at high risk.”
“Lifting Covid testing for international travel entirely negates that there remains a worldwide pandemic,” she stated. “The world is exhausted by the pandemic. Trying to pretend that it is over is destructive, ignorant, and hurts those least able to protect themselves.”
But William Hanage, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, stated that whereas the change may lead to some new infections in the United States, it might have a significantly smaller impact than different coverage choices, corresponding to lifting masks mandates.
“Travel restrictions make sense when there is a big difference between prevalence and risk when you’re going between points A and B. If there isn’t a big difference, then they are not particularly valuable,” he stated. “In many parts of the world, there is now less infection than in the U.S. and you are vastly more likely to be infected in a bar in New York City or elsewhere than you are in most random places overseas.”
The C.D.C. continus to suggest testing for journey.
Some American vacationers at present on journeys overseas breathed a sigh of aid on Friday. Lucia Torres, 39, who’s booked to fly dwelling to Florida from Spain on Tuesday along with her husband stated she canceled some actions deliberate for the final days of her trip as a result of she was apprehensive she would check optimistic earlier than her flight dwelling. She and her husband are vaccinated and boosted.
“When we booked our vacation we decided to take the risk, but we haven’t been able to completely relax because it’s always in our heads,” she stated. “Now we don’t have to worry, I can book a massage, go to a party, do whatever people do on vacation.”
Sarah Cahalan contributed reporting.
