US to Require Arriving Passengers to Show Proof of COVID Test
American health officials say that anyone flying to the United States will soon need to show proof of a negative test for COVID-19. The new restrictions take effect on January 26. The order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires air passengers to get a COVID-19 test within three days of their flight to the U.S.
美國衛生官員聲明：「不久，飛往美國的任何人都要出示新冠陰性測試證明」。1月26日，新的措施開始生效。疾病與預防控制中心發布的指令要求飛機乘客在他們飛往美國的航班起飛前三天之內進行檢測。
Airlines are ordered to stop passengers from boarding if they do not have proof of a negative test. Travelers can also provide documentation that they had the infection in the past and recovered. All air travelers aged two and older must follow the CDC order. However, passengers who only have a stopover in the U.S. before flying to another country do not have to provide proof of a negative COVID test.
stopover
「中途停留」a short stay in a place that you make while you are on a longer journey to somewhere else
documentation
「文件證據，證明文件」pieces of paper containing official information。例：Passengers without the correct documentation (= official papers saying who they are) will not be allowed to travel.沒有相關證件的乘客將不允許旅行。
航空公司被要求禁止沒有陰性測試證明的旅客上機。旅客還可以提供之前感染過並且已經恢復的證明材料。所有兩歲及兩歲以上的旅客都必須遵從疾控中心頒布的指令。然而，對於在飛往其他國家之前只是在美國中轉的乘客，可以不提供新冠陰性測試證明。
The order affects U.S. citizens as well as foreign travelers. The health agency said it delayed the start date until January 26 to give airlines and travelers time to meet the requirements. The CDC says it will consider exceptions of testing requirements for airlines flying from countries with little or no testing abilities, including some places in the Caribbean.
這條指令對美國人和外國旅客都有效。衛生局聲稱，為了給航空公司和旅客時間準備以滿足要求，日期推遲到了1月26日。疾控中心聲明：有些國家檢測能力有限甚至沒有檢測能力，對於涉及這些國家業務的航空公司，可以不在這個檢測要求之內。這些地方包括加勒比的一些地區。
Aim to control new forms of virus
The expanded travel order is similar to one announced late last month for passengers coming from Britain. It is designed to try to prevent travelers from bringing in new forms of the virus that scientists say can spread more easily.
"Testing does not eliminate all risk," CDC Director Robert R. Redfield said in a statement. Redfield added, when combined with other preventative measures, testing "can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations."
It is likely that the recently identified version of the virus from Britain is "in every state or most states," said Dr. Ashisha Jha. He is dean of Brown University's school of public health in Rhode Island. So far, 10 U.S. states have reported 72 cases of the new form.
COVID-19 is already widespread in the U.S., with more than 22.8 million cases reported. Johns Hopkins University reports that more than 380,000 people have died. And the country recorded 4,327 coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday, a one-day record high.
But the new order may stop or reduce spread of other versions of the virus, like the one recently identified in South Africa. Airlines have been pushing for pre-flight testing instead of continued travel restrictions between the U.S. and the rest of the world.
Nicole Carriere is a spokeswoman for United Airlines. She said testing is "key to unlocking international borders and safely reopening global travel." Others say the CDC order is unlikely to cause an immediate increase in international travel.
Henry Harteveldt is a travel expert with Atmosphere Research Group. He told The Associated Press, "People are being encouraged by their public health authorities to not travel, even domestically." He added that he does not expect air travel to increase until the summer, after more people have been vaccinated.