Starting Tuesday, passengers must present a negative PCR test to enter the U.S.

Santo Domingo, DR.

American Airlines warned that it would not allow passengers to board its flights if they have reservations to travel to the United States and do not present a written document stating that they have tested negative for PCR or Covid-19 antigen 72 hours in advance.

The airline also announced its support to the restriction measures announced by the U.S. authorities to present a negative test for Covid-19 and a 14-day quarantine to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and its strains in that nation.

Beginning next Tuesday, January 26, the U.S. government will require all passengers two years of age or older traveling to the country from any international location to present a negative COVID-19 test within three days before departure and a 14-day quarantine.

The U.S. airline warned that travelers who have not been tested and do not have the test results would not be allowed to board their U.S.-bound flight.

However, it noted that a team from the airline is proactively contacting travelers who could be affected by this to make sure they know what to expect.

American Airlines operates regular flights from the José Francisco Peña Gómez terminal at Las Américas to Miami, USA, and other cities in South Florida. Also, it has daily flights departing from other domestic airports.

“At American Airlines, we are committed to protecting the health and safety of our customers and our team members. This requirement will provide another layer of travel protection. We support the implementation of the global program that requires COVID-19 testing for everyone traveling to the United States,” the airline maintained.

The U.S. airline also added that it is working closely with U.S. authorities as they implement this new order while assisting any affected customers with the option to change their reservations.

Passengers favor measures

Regarding the entry into force of the new restriction measures to counteract the coronavirus and its new strains, some passengers consulted at the AILA before their departure to the United States favored their application and said they were unaware of the announcement of the new measures.

Passenger Ignacio Martinez, a resident of Santo Domingo who traveled to New York on a JetBlue Airways flight, explained that these measures should be supported because they favor travelers and prevent them from catching the virus.

“We see these measures as good, and hopefully, they will contribute to reduce and improve the pandemic situation,” Martinez said.

While Clarisa Sanchez, a Dominican resident in New Jersey, United States, said that the health measures announced by the new U.S. President, Joe Biden, are reasonable and should be supported.

“What I pray to God is that this pandemic goes away because it has caused a lot of havoc in all nations of the world,” said the lady, a little saddened.

“It would be good that here also the government begins to vaccinate and to take more restrictive measures, more energetic to stop the advances of this pandemic,” she said.

Another of the passengers consulted concerning the new measures’ entry was Fausto Domínguez, who said that he was not aware of the new restrictions’ announcement.

“The most important thing now is that everyone in the United States and here in the country receives the vaccine against the virus so as not to have the fear and uncertainty that we are going to catch it. You go out on the street, and you don’t know if someone else is going to infect you because the worst thing about this pandemic is that there are asymptomatic people, who have no symptoms of the virus, but they are carriers,” he said.

Increase in passenger departures

However, this day there was an increase in passengers’ departure to North American territory through this terminal of Las Americas, a few days before the new restriction measures announced by the U.S. authorities come into force.

JetBlue Airways, American Airlines, and Delta Airlines flights departed with many passengers bound for U.S. cities, respecting the established sanitary protocols.

Meanwhile, the Ministries of Public Health and Defense continue to apply breath and PCR tests to passengers arriving in the country from abroad.