Several members of the local entertainment fraternity have expressed pleasure at the recent announcement by U.S officials that the exhaustive and expensive process of COVID-19 testing for international travellers will be lifted.
COVID-19 testing will no longer be required for international air travellers arriving in the United States. One of the administration’s most senior officials said on Friday that the entry restrictions could be lifted by Sunday night at the latest (12 June).
The news has brought much reprieve to Jamaicans, especially those within the entertainment community that ply their trade internationally. This also eases the consistent financial burden faced as testing locally remains a costly exercise.
However, the need for international travellers to be fully vaccinated remains mandatory.
The travel industry has lobbied the Biden administration for months to remove the testing requirements that have been in place since January 2021. In addition, politicians and scientists have expressed their displeasure with the practice of testing international visitors.
Previously, all travellers, regardless of vaccination status or citizenship, must have a COVID-19 test done no more than one day before flying into the United States.
