U.S. Ends COVID-19 Testing Requirements for Travelers From China

Beginning Friday, the CDC will lift the mandatory COVID-19 test that was previously required for travelers entering from China.

The pandemic brought many travel restrictions, from mandatory COVID-19 testing to required quarantine in certain nations. The United States was not an exception. In early January of 2023, the U.S. began a mandatory COVID-19 test for all travelers entering from China, joining other countries like Canada, Japan, and Italy. The decision came after Beijing lifted its zero-COVID policy. The rule said everyone above the age of two from China, Hong Kong, and Macao needs a negative COVID-19 test result no more than two days before their travels.

Despite the COVID-19 test lift, the U.S. will continue to track cases around the world to ensure safety among the country.

After the zero-COVID policy was lifted back in December, China faced an abrupt increase in COVID-19 cases. The CDC will continue to monitor COVID-19 cases under the Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance Program (TGS) and ask travelers entering the country to make a notice if they have been exposed to or caught the virus.

How many individuals in the U.S. were infected with the virus?

As of March 2023, there has been a total confirmed and reported 103,499,382 COVID-19 cases in the U.S. As of March 1, 2023, the seven-day average weekly case of COVID-19 went down 5.1% from the previous week, from 34,102 to 32,374, per the CDC.

There have been a total of 672,076,105 COVID-19 vaccinations administered in the U.S. and 54,086,801 booster doses. Hospitalization rates from the virus have also been going down, with the seven-day average for the last week of February ending at 3,318. In the prior week, the number was 3,604, a 7.9% increase.

According to the CDC report, a total of 1,117,856 individuals in the U.S. have died from the virus as of March 1, 2023.


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