Canadians, other foreigners will need COVID-19 test a day before flights to U.S.

The United Statesis making it mandatory next weekfor Canadians and other foreign visitors who arrive by air to get a COVID-19 test no morethan one day before their departure, regardless of their vaccination status, as part of apandemic battle plan for the winter months.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced his administration's plan on Thursday during a visit to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

The new travel rule onobtaininga negative COVID-19 test will take effect on Monday at 12:01 a.m. ET, sources briefed on the matter said.

An antigen test would qualify and returnsresults faster than a molecular PCR test.

Currently, international air travellers arerequired to get a test within three days of leaving for the U.S.A senior White House official who spoke on condition of anonymitytoldCBC News that the new protocol will notapply to those crossing the Canada-U.S. land border.

"We're pulling out all the stops to get people maximum protection from this pandemic," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told a briefing on Thursday in advance of Biden's afternoon announcement.

"Our view and belief, and the belief of our medical team, is that we have the tools to keep people safe. We're executing on a robust plan that builds off of all the actions we've taken to date we are not starting from scratch here."

Fully vaccinated travellers entering the U.S.by land from Canada currently do not need to present a negative COVID-19 test, as long as they showproof of vaccination or attest to their vaccination status upon request by a border agent. That rule has been in place since the land border reopened to non-essential travel on Nov. 8.

In Canada, all those entering the country must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 molecular PCRtest result, taken within three daysof arrival by land or air.

However, since Nov. 30, the rule has been adjusted for Canadians whodepart and re-enter Canada within three days, meaningthose taking trips of that duration or shorterno longer need proof of a negative COVID-19 test to return home.

WATCH |Travel Insurance, trip planning and the omicron variant:

Travel Insurance, trip planning and the omicron variant

3 years ago

Duration 4:48

Travel insurance consultant Martin Firestone lays out what travellers should know about the latest travel restrictions.

Under the U.S. plan to combat the spread of COVID-19over the winter months, the Transportation Security Administration is extending its mask mandates ontransitthrough March 18. Passengers on domestic flights, trains and public transportation will be required to continue wearing face masks.

Other components of the 10-point U.S. strategyinclude:

• A plan to expand access to booster shots, with a comprehensive outreach effort to convince nearly 100 million eligible Americans to get one.
• New family vaccination clinics to provide a one-stop vaccination stop for entire households.
• Accelerating the effort to safely vaccinate children under the age of five.
• Expanding the availability of at-home test kits.
• Rapid response teams to help with widespread omicron outbreaks.
• Another 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses donated internationally within the next 100 days.

Biden's speech outlining theplan comes a day after the U.S. confirmed its first case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in a travellerwho arrived in San Francisco from South Africa on Nov. 22.

The newvariant is "causefor concernbut not panic," Biden said.

More omicron cases reported

U.S. health officials confirmed asecond case of the variant on Thursday in Minnesota. It involveda vaccinated man who had attended an anime conventionjust before Thanksgiving in New York City that drew an estimated 50,000 people. That would suggest the variant has begun to spread within the U.S.

In addition to the convention attendee, health officials inNew Yorksaid tests showed five other people in the city recently infected with COVID-19 had the variant.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the geographic spread of the positive tests suggested the variant was undergoing "community spread" in the cityand wasn't linked to any one event.

Another U.S. case of the variant was reported Thursday in aColorado woman who had recently travelled to southern Africa.

COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S. have dropped by about half since the delta variant peak in August and September, but at about 86,000 new infections per day, the numbers are still worrisomely high especially heading into the holidays, when people travel and gather with family.