All travelers arriving in the US will have to undergo a 10-day quarantine, says Biden

All travelers arriving in the US must undergo a 10-day quarantine
A. Weiss / Credit: AFP via Getty Images

On Jan. 21, President Joe Biden signed an executive order requiring all international travelers to quarantine upon arrival in the United States. The mandate applies to U.S. citizens, permanent residents and visitors from other countries.

The order also requires all incoming international travelers to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours of departure, backing up a policy from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 26.

According to Biden’s mandate, the testing and quarantine policies will be reviewed by officials from the CDC, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration over the next 14 days and modified as necessary.

Possible adjustments to the policies may include the length of quarantine, the types of test results that are accepted, how travelers provide proof of test results and whether airlines will be responsible for obtaining the results.

Biden also signed an executive order mandating that all travelers wear masks when using public transportation, such as airplanes, trains, buses and ferries. They are also required to wear masks inside airport terminals and transit stations.

The Biden administration has vowed to take a proactive approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, something it claims the previous administration failed to do.

Healthcare workers get vaccinated at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in New Jersey, U.S.

On the same day the president signed the travel-related executive orders, the White House released the “National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness.” The 198-page document provides a national blueprint for fighting the virus, including a plan to administer 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses within Biden’s first 100 days in office.

“Our national strategy is comprehensive,” Biden said during a press conference at the White House. “It’s based on science, not politics. It’s based on truth, not denial, and it’s detailed.”

The plan was developed by a panel of leading infectious disease experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top epidemiologist.

According to multiple sources, the Trump administration had no vaccination plan in place when it left, forcing Biden’s team to start from scratch.

As of Jan. 23, there have been 24.9 million COVID-19 infections and over 414,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S. since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University.