San Francisco (KPIX) — On Sunday, passengers gathered at San Francisco International Airport for overseas flights, wondering what additional challenges they will face when returning to the United States under the new COVID-19 test requirements.
Among them is Zohaib Valani, a university student who went to Pakistan on holiday with his family.
"Definitely another challenge that came up during the trip," Varani said. "I know it is difficult to get an appointment (for COVID testing), especially during this travel time, and not only is the type of testing so important to the airline."
It may take more than 24 hours for passengers to obtain a negative test result within one calendar day after the flight back to the United States, such as a Saturday night flight, Friday morning, but it should be PCR or a rapid test by a health professional to confirm the result.
"I think 48 hours to 72 hours is enough. You can go to your healthcare provider for a test and wait. You have enough time to get the results before you travel," a traveler said on the way to Nigeria . "With all the new restrictions and all the new requirements, I don't know, we just need to accept it day by day."
The White House announced new restrictions last week. Will take effect on Monday. The Biden government will also extend the regulations on wearing masks on public transportation (including flights) until March 2022.
On Sunday, another passenger traveling to Nigeria told KPIX 5: “The reason we are vaccinated is so that we can travel and go to other places. This will ensure our safety.”
Business travelers hope that by staying abroad long enough, they can have more favorable test requirements when returning to the Bay Area. They also hope that if the window between results and departure time remains tight, testing resources will be improved.
Mohammad Almadani said before flying to the UAE on Sunday: "This adds more pressure, especially for people on business trips like me." "Some of these meetings are more effective, especially the first time, face to face. It is frustrating to be subject to these restrictions. "
The new test requirements came after the United States discovered a new variant of omicron after announcing travel restrictions on southern African countries. Members of the Biden administration defended this policy and did not provide a date for lifting the ban.
"These are temporary measures, and no one wants them to last longer than they need," U.S. surgeon Vivek Murti said on the CBS "Face the Nation" program on Sunday morning. "This is why we continue to re-evaluate them so that we can get rid of them as soon as appropriate."
Travelers are prepared for expenses when they need to return to the United States and are expected to undergo COVID-19 testing at the airport to meet the new requirements.
The White House has stated that insurance companies should reimburse travelers for testing costs, but this depends on where they are tested. In view of the uncertainty when visiting different countries, travel experts recommend buying insurance for travel.
Varani told KPIX 5: "I think people are getting more and more scared, so I understand why they do it. The family is the family, so sometimes you have to be there and you have to pay for these expenses."