The United States requires a negative coronavirus test from travelers in the United Kingdom

Anyone traveling to the US from the UK will have to take a negative test for COVID-19 within 72 hours before their flight, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advertise Thursday. The agency cited concerns about a new type of coronavirus as the reason for the rule, which will go into effect on Monday.

Coronavirus, like all viruses, has mutated regularly as it spreads through the population. Most of the mutations do not make the virus behave differently, but this new variant that has appeared in the United Kingdom, Do you It appears to spread more easily than other forms of the virus. that No It appears to make people sicker and does not appear to be more deadly, although researchers are still studying this question. Experts say the already authorized COVID-19 vaccines will likely still be effective against it.

The new species is spreading rapidly across London and the southeast of England. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has put the region under tighter lockdowns for its containment, and Dozens of countries Banned travelers from the UK.

Two American statesNew York and Washington already have travel restrictions in the UK. British Airways, Delta Airlines and Virgin Atlantic agreed to a request by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to test travelers flying into the state. Washington requires travelers from the United Kingdom to quarantine for a period of 14 days.

Anthony Fauci He said On Good morning America Earlier this week it would not recommend a complete travel ban from the UK, which it described as “extremely draconian”. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the test was a more realistic step.

Asking travelers to take COVID-19 tests is a much more effective screen than temperature and symptom checks They don’t end up catching up Many patients. However, testing within three days of travel would not be a perfect network: A person can test negative the day before their flight and develop symptoms upon landing.

Fauci said it is likely that the new alternative is already rolling out in the US. “When you have that much spread inside a place like the UK, you really need to assume it’s actually here.”