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The COVID-19 testing requirement in place since January 2021 will be lifted at midnight on Sunday, June 12th. The travel and tourism industry has been pushing back against these measures, pushing for the administration to begin lifting requirements for multiple months.

US will end Covid-19 testing requirement for air travelers entering the country

⁦@CDCgov⁩ will evaluate its need based on the science and in context of circulating variants

⁦@POTUS⁩ work on effective vaccines and treatments critical to this https://t.co/cpdlNfRHbt

— Kevin Munoz (@KMunoz46) June 10, 2022

The same feeling is widely shared in Canada as well. 

Justin Trudeau, will you listen? https://t.co/C0n6bxjKjx

— William Diaz-Berthiaume (@wdiazberthiaume) June 8, 2022

The Canadian Airports Council noted:

“The aviation community has been a supportive partner of the federal government in facilitating the vaccine mandate for travel since October 2021. [...] Canada must align with the international community and join the list of over 50 countries that have already removed vaccine mandates and COVID protocols for travel.”

The recent chaos at Toronto's Pearson airport demonstrates the consequences of keeping COVID-19 measures such as the COVID-19 testing requirement. 

I was at Toronto Pearson Airport today to get a simple flight to Ottawa, and I can 100% confirm that all of this is indeed true.

Pearson is less of an airport than it is a place of confusion, chaos, and flights complications. #yyz #torontopearson #TorontoPearsonAirport https://t.co/XxtFXh019b

— William Diaz-Berthiaume (@wdiazberthiaume) June 8, 2022

Did the mayhem at Pearson prompt Biden to drop the testing requirements?

Thee US has noticed a 14% decrease in the amount of international travelers entering the country. Airlines For America said that they believe the lifting of the testing requirement will help in attracting more people to visit the country. 

Roger Dow, CEO and president of the US Travel Association, reportedly “praised the decision.”

“[It is] another huge step forward for the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international travel to the United States,” he stated. 

The Democratic senator for Nevada, Catherine Cortez Masto, said she supports the lifting of the measure. 

“I’m glad CDC suspended the burdensome coronavirus testing requirement for international travelers, and I’ll continue to do all I can to support the strong recovery of our hospitality industry," she said. 

However, while the requirement will be lifted on Sunday, the CDC still wants travelers to test themselves for COVID before boarding a plane. This willl not be mandatory anymore, though.