Health Alert: U.S. Embassy Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (04 December 2021)
Location: Worldwide
Event: On December 6, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will implement a one-day COVID-19 testing requirement for travelers over age two traveling to the United States. Regardless of vaccination status or nationality, any individual traveling to the United States must show a negative pre-departure COVID-19 viral test taken the day before they board their flight to the United States. You must show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight. If your itinerary has you arriving to the US via one or more connecting flights, your test can be taken within 1 day before the departure of the first flight.
If you recently recovered from COVID-19, you may instead travel with documentation of recovery from COVID-19 (i.e., your positive COVID-19 viral test result on a sample taken no more than 90 days before the flight’s departure from a foreign country and a letter from a licensed healthcare provider or a public health official stating that you were cleared to travel).
These requirements are for all air passengers two years of age or older boarding a flight from a foreign country to the United States.
For travelers departing from Papua New Guinea at Jacksons International Airport, the COVID-19 test performed immediately prior to check-in for an outbound international flight is sufficient to meet this requirement.
For travelers departing from Solomon Islands or Vanuatu with a final destination in the United States, please contact local health authorities in advance of travel to determine if test results will be available within one day prior to departure. If test results are not available within that time period, you may wish to contact your airline or airports along your route to determine if rapid testing is available during a layover or stopover. Pay close attention to whether or not you will be required to leave the international terminal/enter the country at the transit point and whether COVID-19 restrictions may prevent transit passengers from doing so. Contact U.S. Embassy Port Moresby via email (ConsularPortMoresby@state.gov) if you experience difficulties finding a test that meets requirements to travel to the United States.
Actions to Take:
- Consult the CDC website for the most up-to-date information.
- For information on what you can do to reduce your risk of contracting COVID-19, please see the CDC’s latest recommendations.
- Visit the COVID-19 crisis page on travel.state.gov for country-specific information related to COVID-19.
- Check with your airlines, cruise lines, or travel operators regarding any updated information about your travel plans and/or restrictions, including potential COVID vaccine or testing requirements for countries you are transiting through.
- Visit the U.S. Embassy Port Moresby webpage on COVID-19 for information on conditions in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.