Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico – On January 12, it was announced that people who decide to travel to the United States would be required to take a COVID-19 test with a negative result within 72 hours before boarding their flight. According to an announcement by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) their 12 airports in Mexico will install temporary laboratories where passengers will be able to take the test.
GAP began installing COVID testing labs on Monday, January 25 at the Guadalajara, Tijuana, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Guanajuato, Hermosillo, Mexicali, Morelia, La Paz, Aguascalientes, Los Mochis and Manzanillo airports. The price of the antigen test is 450 pesos, while the PCR costs 1,450 pesos. Both prices will be
applicable only to passengers on international flights.
GAP recommended that travelers who have been tested at laboratories in the city they are visiting to add one hour to their travel itinerary to avoid problems regarding documentation and requirements to fly, as well as long lines that may be a result of the document verification process.
If passengers wish to take the test at the airport, at least one additional hour should be added to the pre-boarding time recommended by the airline.
They also pointed out that people who have tested positive for the disease in the previous 90 days will be able to travel only if they have met the isolation criteria. They must also show proof that they no longer have the disease and a letter from a medical specialist allowing them to travel.
In addition to the requirement to present a negative test to enter the United States, the new U.S. government also decreed that all passengers arriving at its airports must undergo a period of quarantine, something that had only been a recommendation of the previous administration.
“Testing does not eliminate all risks, but when combined with a period of isolation and daily precautions such as wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining social distance, it can make travel safer,” said Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This order will go into effect on January 26 and include U.S. citizens seeking to return home from a foreign country. The CDC’s recommendation for all international travelers is to be tested again within three to five days of arrival and isolate themselves for one week.
Sources: Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico • The Yucatan Times