ATLANTA — At Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, travelers getting ready to fly outside the country will face stricter requirements in order to return.
Starting Monday, passengers over the age of 2 must take a COVID-19 test no sooner than the day before boarding a flight to the U.S. Previously, vaccinated travelers had a 72-hour window to test negative.
The exception is if you’ve recovered from COVID-19 within the past 90 days and a doctor has cleared you for travel you can provide that documentation instead of testing.
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“It will promote safe air travel. That safety is not just for the traveler, it is also for the crews,” said traveler Rod O’Korley, who is also a travel agent.
“I’m all for testing and you need to test before you enter the country,” said traveler Vivienne Daden.
But some travelers say that although they support testing, they worry the new rule may discourage international travel.
“I think it’s asking a bit much,” said one traveler.
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Robert and Vivienne Daden had a layover in Atlanta. They were returning home to London after being in the U.S. for vacation. They also needed a test with a quick turnaround to return to the U.K.
“Of course we wasted most of our last day trying to get a test. We had to spend $129 dollars each yesterday,” said Daden.
Travel agent Olivia Vasquez with Epperly Travel says there are simple steps you can take to keep testing travel headaches to a minimum.
“Check with your resort or hotel to see if they do offer COVID testing on-site, and if they do make that appointment way before you check in.
If they don’t offer testing on-site, then we love the at-home test kits,” said Vasquez.
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For more information on which tests are approved by the CDC, click here.
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