International travelers must get Covid-19 test within twenty-four hours of flight

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The CDC has announced that for those looking to travel internationally, they'll have to produce a negative Covid test just twenty-four hours before their flight, shortening the previous deadline by forty-eight hours. 

All to help prevent the spread of the Omicron variant.

Travel agent Michele Boyd, with Signal Travel & Tours, says that while the new window to get tested is tighter, there are several options for travelers who need to get tested.

Major airports are offering Covid tests for international travelers.

"But it's not going to be free," said Boyd.

The price range varies from airport to airport-- some costing hundreds of dollars-- and bringing a home testing kit may not suffice.

“Home testing is usually not allowed because there are different kinds of tests," she said. "Don’t count on that being allowed as proof that you don’t have Covid.”

But there are other options available if travelers are looking to get tested.

“Most of the hotels and tour operators have come to the rescue and have had relationships built during the past months so that tests can be obtained within the twenty-four hour period because they do want travelers," said Boyd.

Because the situation is always changing-- meaning the mandates can change, Boyd advises travelers to thoroughly research their trips and use only trusted information sources listing the up-to-date rules and regulations

"There’s so many places to get information and there’s a lot of misinformation," she said. "Don’t take what your neighbor tells you he did, because it may not apply to your particular trip. Even though you’re going to the same destination-- the days are different, the dates of travel are different, and the rules may have changed.”

While these mandates are only for international travel, there are some domestic destinations that require Covid tests, like Hawaii. Boyd does not anticipate these tests becoming mandatory for domestic air travel, but given the changing pandemic, she cannot rule it out. 

“Everything is evolving: the new rules today might not apply tomorrow,” Boyd said.