Will COVID-19 test become the norm for domestic flights too?

It is common for travellers to produce negative COVID-19 test results for international flights and entry into foreign countries, but this has not expected for domestic flights up to now.

However, the United States is now considering implementing negative COVID-19 test requirements for passengers on internal flights within the country’s borders.

US WORST HIT BY COVID-19  

 The US has been worst hit by COVID-19, with more than 27 million cases and more than 483,000 deaths due to the virus.

To reduce the spread of infections in the country, the government is in talks with the department handling its response to the virus, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Discussions are around additional measures that could reduce the rate of infection.

“There’s an active conversation with the CDC right now,” US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told HBO, as quoted by CNN.

“What I can tell you is, it’s going to be guided by data, by science, by medicine, and by the input of the people who are actually going to have to carry this [proposal] out.

US CONSIDERS TESTING FOR DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

Buttigieg said the Biden administration was considering additional health and safety measures for domestic flights. The CDC would advise on appropriate steps to take, he said.

“What we know is that it’s the appropriate measure for international travel, people travelling into the US given some of those considerations. You know I’d say the domestic picture is very different, but you know the CDC is always evaluating what can best be done to keep Americans safe,” Buttigieg said.

IMPROVED SAFETY MEASURES ON DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said the screening of passengers on domestic flights through COVID-19 test requirements would be useful. She said the move had not been confirmed and was not a requirement yet.

Walensky said the US has sufficient supplies of kits to conduct tests for travellers on domestic flights. However, she appealed to Americans to rather avoid travel altogether.

“To the extent that we have available tests to be able to do testing, first and foremost, I would really encourage people to not travel.”

HOW MIGHT PROPOSAL BE RECEIVED IN SOUTH AFRICA?

PCR testing for passengers on domestic flights would place extra demands on a country’s laboratories and testing facilities. That is because the PCR test — a requirement for international flights — takes longer to process than an antigen test.

The move would also translate into lower demand for air travel, affecting South Africa’s battered tourism and aviation sectors. The supply chains connected to both of these sectors would also be knocked.

PCR testing is costly. If travellers must add the cost of a PCR test to the cost of their ticket, domestic travel by air will become too costly for many South Africans.

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