Airlines control negative covid-19 tests to travel to the US

On a flight to Miami on the American Airlines airline on the afternoon of this Tuesday, January 26, 2021, new controls began for travelers leaving for the United States, from the Guayaquil Airport. Passengers are required to present a negative covid-19 test to enter that country from today. Ángel Córdova, manager of Tagsa, concessionaire of the air terminal, confirmed that the checks on the presentation of the tests began, by order of the health authorities of the United States. “It is up to the airlines to verify that the passenger who arrives to be checked has a negative PCR test, if he does not have the test, they should not check him or let him board, and that is how it is working,” indicated Córdova. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ordered that starting today all people who are two years of age or older must present a negative Covid-19 test as a requirement to enter the US. A viral test is required that analyzes samples taken from the mouth (saliva) or nose with a swab, such as PCR. And they must be taken up to 3 days before the flight departure, according to the CDC provision. From Guayaquil American Airlines flies to the United States 14 times a week, Spirit operates seven times a week to Fort Lauderdale (Florida), JetBlue flies seven times a week to Fort Lauderdale and seven to New York, and Eastern flies four times a week to Miami and four to New York. In addition to direct flights, the presentation of PCR tests with a negative result also applies to Copa and Avianca flights to the United States, which make their respective stops in Panama and Bogotá (Colombia), Córdova recalled. Guayaquil Airport staff and Ecuadorian authorities do not participate in testing controls on international departures, as this is a health provision of the United States. The Ministry of Public Health (MSP) of Ecuador maintains control and verification of the presentation of negative PCR tests, carried out in the last 10 days, for international passengers arriving in Ecuador. Ministry staff conduct random tests on passengers. On domestic flights, every passenger arriving in Guayaquil must fill out a health form to be delivered to officials of the Health Directorate of the Municipality of Guayaquil, an entity that carries out random controls and rapid tests with the consent of travelers. In 2019, the José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil moved 3,970,573 passengers and in 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of travelers was reduced to 1,389,328, which represents only 35% of the from the previous year.