US to require all travelers from UK to receive negative coronavirus test

Updated: Dec 25, 2020 / 01:55 AM EST

Pedestrians, some wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past a sign alerting people that “COVID-19 cases are very high in London – Stay at Home”, in central London on December 23, 2020. (Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (NewsNation Now) — The U.S. government will mandate a negative coronavirus test to travel from the United Kingdom, the agency announced on Christmas Eve.

The restrictions go into effect Monday. All airline passengers will need to test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of departure.

The move comes amid concerns about a new coronavirus variant that may be more transmissible.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement late on Thursday that all airline passengers arriving from the UK must test negative in order to fly to the United States. The decision was a turnaround after the Trump administration told U.S. airlines on Tuesday it was not planning to require any testing for arriving UK passengers.

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Reuters contributed to this report.