The Washington Times:
The White House is not imposing testing rules on domestic flights but it is extending its mask mandate on those flights until March 18.
President Biden will announce a sweeping plan Thursday to combat the coronavirus this winter, requiring all U.S.-bound travelers to present a negative test within a day of departure and forcing private insurers to reimburse enrollees for the cost of rapid at-home tests.
Administration officials said they will accept both rapid antigen tests and more sensitive “PCR” tests from travelers under the new rule, which takes effect early next week, but will take a test off its list of acceptable diagnostics if it doesn’t pass muster in detecting the newly discovered omicron variant.
Omicron is driving renewed concerns around the virus and Mr. Biden’s decision to address the nation on his plans to try and avoid a winter spike of COVID-19. Cases are rising rapidly in South Africa, where the variant was detected, and California reported the first omicron case in the U.S. in a traveler who came back from the African nation in late November.
The administration decided to forego any new rules on post-arrival testing or quarantine — provisions that had been under discussion but would have been difficult to implement.
The White House is not imposing testing rules on domestic flights but it is extending its mask mandate on those flights until March 18.
Administration officials said health insurers will be required to cover 100% of the cost of at-home rapid tests, which will be a popular screening tool ahead of holiday gatherings.
Officials seemed confident there would be enough tests to go around even if insurers pick up the tab. “Supply will quadruple this month from where it was in the summer,” a senior administration official said.
“Remember, you test everyone in the garage while handing out stiff drinks” said CBS News.
