However, this decision has sparked criticism and vigilance from other corners of the public health sector.
Meegan Zikus, a bioethicist at Grand Valley State University in Michigan and immunodeficient, said the removal of this mission would “totally ignore the safety and well-being of high-risk people.”
“Raising the Covid test for overseas travel completely denies that a global pandemic remains,” she said. “The world is exhausted from the pandemic. Trying to pretend it’s over is destructive and ignorant, and hurt those who can’t protect themselves most.”
However, William Hanage, an epidemiologist at Harvard TH Chan Public Health School, said the change could lead to some new infections in the United States, but more than other policy decisions such as lifting the mask obligation. He said it would have a fairly small effect.
“Travel restrictions make sense when there is a big difference between prevalence and risk when moving between points A and B. If there is no big difference, they are not particularly worth it,” he said. Said. “In many parts of the world, it is currently less infected than in the United States and much more likely to be transmitted in bars in New York City and elsewhere than in most random locations abroad.”
The CDC continues to recommend travel testing.
Some American travelers currently traveling abroad sighed relief on Friday. Lucia Torres, 39, who will be returning from Spain to Florida with her husband on Tuesday, is scheduled for the last day of her vacation because she was worried that she might test positive before returning. He said he had canceled the activity. She and her husband have been vaccinated and boosted.
“When we booked a vacation, we decided to take the risk, but it was always in our heads, so we couldn’t relax completely,” she said. Said. “Now you don’t have to worry. You can book a massage, go to a party, or do whatever people do during your vacation.”
Sarah Kahalan Report that contributed.