Las Cruces mayor called on White House to partially axe COVID-19 testing for U.S. travel
LAS CRUCES - The mayor of the state's second largest city partially supported dropping the pre-departure COVID-19 test required for air travel into the country. On Friday, the Biden administration announced that the United States will no longer require a negative test starting Sunday.
Under the soon-to-expire guidance, any traveler flying into the United States is required to test negative for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status or citizenship, no more than one day before boarding their flight into the country. There's an exemption for travelers 2 and older who have recently recovered from the virus.
While unvaccinated American citizens and permanent residents will now be allowed reentry in the U.S. without a test starting Sunday, only fully vaccinated international travelers will be allowed into the U.S. They just won't need a negative test.
Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima was among several dozen mayors to sign a letter to Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, requesting the federal government eliminate the testing requirement for inbound travel to the United States, though only for vaccinated travelers.
"This requirement makes little sense considering that nearly all other sectors of the U.S. economy are operating without a testing requirement," the June 7 letter states. "Stronger immunity provided by vaccinations, boosters and prior infections, as well as effective treatments to prevent the worst outcomes of COVID-19, have enabled Americans to safely return to work, schools and public activities — all without the need for a testing requirement."
Miyagishima joined three dozen other mayors in signing the letter, and he was the only New Mexico mayor to sign. The mayors of New York City, San Francisco, Orlando, Houston and Louisville are some of the others to sign.
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The letter says international travel to U.S. cities is still low more than two years after the pandemic began and claims the testing requirement is a deterrent, as travelers worry about needing to cancel trips last-minute if they test positive. Americans abroad also worry, the letter claims, about not being allowed entry back into the country temporarily.
"In 2021, international visitation was a staggering 78 percent below prepandemic levels," the letter states. "Our constituents and our businesses suffered greatly from this steep decline in international travel spending, and they cannot fully recover until this vital sector of the U.S. economy rebounds."
In a statement Friday, the Las Cruces mayor said he supports everyone being vaccinated against COVID-19.
"I feel that people know enough about the vaccine as to whether or not they should take the vaccination," Miyagishima wrote. "We can't stay in a lockdown forever, we need to resume some sense of normalcy."
Miyagishima said he was alright with the federal government dropping the negative test requirement for any American, a citizen or someone with legal residency, regardless of their vaccination status, but he said he would prefer a vaccination requirement for non-American travelers remain intact regardless of a test.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined the requirement is no longer necessary based on the science, USA Today reports. The decision will be reassessed in 90 days and the health agency plans to evaluate it on an ongoing basis.
Though the decision comes as COVID-19 case counts have risen nationwide in recent months. During a news conference Wednesday, state health officials said while cases and hospitalizations in the state have risen, it's minimal compared to the waves New Mexico experienced in 2020 and 2021 and said a return to broad public health edicts such as mask mandates was unlikely.
Michael McDevitt is a city and county government reporter for the Sun-News. He can be reached at 575-202-3205, mmcdevitt@lcsun-news.com or @MikeMcDTweets on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Las Cruces mayor called for partial removal of COVID-19 testing for travel
