US May Require COVID Testing For Domestic Flights

Look beyond the impact on airlines and think about the economic impact on the medical providers; payers & insurance companies; and the labs that run the tests. While tests should be readily available, and ideally point of care; the reality is that most people call or message their doctors office for help. My group is overrun with every patient traveling to Hawaii, or internationally, and wanting us to manage their testing for their vacation! Seriously, why would people think that I know the testing requirements to visit Thailand; and why should I be responsible for arranging this? So, we end up spending significant time providing guidance in something that has nothing to do with actual healthcare. This alone is keeping the sick from getting care. On top of that, the patient expects their insurance, or anyone for that matter, to cover the cost associated with personal travel, which the person shouldn’t probably be undertaking in the first place. To be clear, testing is a good thing! Telling all 331 million people to “contact your health care provider to obtain testing,” or even implying to do so, is a fucking disaster! It already is a disaster with just Hawaii and international travel...now let’s add ALL travel. This could be the thing that breaks the system.

I do not agree with this policy. It will be damaging to the travel industry. I believe they need to first figure out how to roll out rapid antigen tests < 5 minutes, and then find ways to make it inexpensive and easy to distribute. Without having quick antigen testing, and easy rollout and distribution of tests, instituting and enforcing mandatory traditional 72hr PCR tests is impractical and can be damaging to the travel industry.

I can't even get a test in my area that gets results back in 72 hours. If something like this is going to be instituted, then I think it'd have to be the rapid antigen tests (15 minutes), it'd have to be affordable ($25 or less), and it'd have to be available at all airports. Testing requirement waived with proof of vaccine. THAT would be doable. Anything else....you're looking at the annihilation of travel industries.

@ Marcus I've heard all of the right wing brain washing narrative before, mate. It's very boring stuff, so save me the stupidity. Strange that the Liberal premiers in TAS and SA escape your attention, despite pursuing similar policies to those of Labor in QLD. Then there's the inconvenient issue of the QLD election win. Clearly the people backed the sensible choice. Not feckless Deb who'd have opened the borders. I live in Cairns - even here, with a reliance on tourism, people still voted with a swing away from the loopy Liberals and numbskull Nationals. And the fact that VIC premier has enjoyed stunning popularity. Of course NSW is a special case. The Ruby Princess debacle led to the death from COVID of the brother of a friend of mine. NSW Premier has lost the plot. It's only a matter of time before her corruption will scupper her. Shredded documents. Doing the business with a corrupt colleague. No wonder the federal Liberal and National parties don't want an effective independent corruption body.

@ Patti Nobody here is hiding in fear, thanks all the same for your misplaced stupidity. It's called taking responsibility. It's about respecting the health and welfare of others in your local, national, and international communities, people who you can potentially infect with your blatantly selfish unfettered wunderlust. Unfortunately, rules are necessary because some folk resolutely refuse to behave like decent human beings at a time of evident world crisis. You don't want to be bothered to respect other people, so come up with all sorts of excuses to deny reality. Absent the intelligence to summon a cogent excuse, you default to a shallow and childish comment about people hiding in fear. Your attitude and behaviour are appalling. To have any concern whatsoever that you could spread the virus and kill other people? Or do you just not give a kcuf?