Biden Announces New COVID-19 Travel Rules

Amid the emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, President Joe Biden on Thursday announced new rules for domestic and international travel.

Beginning Monday, travelers entering the country by air must now test negative for COVID-19 within 24 hours of departure, regardless of vaccination status or nationality. The previous rule required a negative test within 72 hours of departure. The mask mandate for airplanes, trains and public transportation was extended through March 18, past its previous expiration date of Jan. 18. Biden said the requirements, along with new efforts to encourage vaccinations, "pulls no punches in the fight against COVID-19" and "should unite us." The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) reported Tuesday that the White House also considered a requirement for returning travelers to self-quarantine for seven days, even if their pre-flight test results were negative.

The news was covered across the spectrum Thursday. Some reports, mostly from left- and center-rated outlets but also elsewhere, highlighted how Biden didn't announce new or expanded vaccine requirements. Some right-rated outlets framed the new rules as being less strict than anticipated, and highlighted questioning of White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki about the southern Africa travel ban. One article from Fox News (Right bias) focused on how Psaki said "nothing is off the table" for travel requirements, and framed that as her saying a "vaccine requirement for domestic travel is still on the table."