President Joe Biden's administration may soon require a negative COVID-19 test for all domestic air travelers, according to Pete Buttigieg, transportation secretary, CNN reported Feb. 9.
"There's an active conversation with the CDC right now," Mr. Buttigieg said when asked about the possibility during a Feb. 7 interview with Axios on HBO.
"What I can tell you is, it's going to be guided by data, by science, by medicine, and by the input of the people who are actually going to have to carry this out," Mr. Buttigieg added.
Currently, a negative test requirement applies to all international travelers boarding U.S. bound flights, according to the CDC. That order had been in effect since Jan. 26.
At a Feb. 8 news conference, Rochelle Walensky, MD, CDC director, said extending the requirement to domestic travel could be an added COVID-19 prevention measure, but didn't confirm any plans to do so, CNN reports.
"To the extent that we have available tests to be able to do testing, first and foremost, I would really encourage people not to travel," Dr. Walkensy said. "But if we are travelling, this would be yet another mitigation measure to try and decrease the spread."