Anyone entering the United States from a foreign country, including returning Americans, will be required to have a negative coronavirus test one day prior to their journey back into the US, the Biden Administration will announce Thursday in the face of the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, the Washington Post reports.
The test will be required regardless of the traveler’s vaccination status or country of origin. Administration officials are also considering a provision to require travelers arriving from foreign countries to be retested three to five days after arrival.
Another provision under consideration would require travelers, regardless of if they test positive or negative, to self-quarantine up to seven days after arrival in the US, with people who violate the quarantine subject to fines. It would mark the first time the federal government would assess penalties to individuals violating quarantine requirements.
The omicron variant, identified in Africa earlier this month, has already been verified in at least 19 countries around the globe. The variant is believed to be highly contagious and very likely to mutate.