Army medical treatment facilities offer travel testing recommendations

By Kirk FradyJanuary 21, 2022

A new COVID testing requirement for inbound air travel to the United States went into effect in Dec.
Army medical treatment facilities offer travel testing recommendations (Photo Credit: Courtesy Photo) VIEW ORIGINAL

SEMBACH, Germany – A new COVID testing requirement for inbound air travel to the United States went into effect in December requiring all air travelers to receive a negative COVID test no more than one-day prior to departure for the United States.

However, Army medical treatment facilities in Europe are currently seeing a significant increase in requests for symptomatic COVID-19 testing and, as a result, do not have the capacity to facilitate travel testing at this time.

It is, thereby, recommended that all travelers seek out COVID testing at a facility in the local community or at an international airport. Due to recent changes made to the Joint Travel Regulation, COVID tests for official travel are now a reimbursable expense.

COVID testing for leisure travel is still not available at Army MTFs, however, there are a variety of COVID testing resources available in the local communities.

It should also be noted that individuals who are fully recovered from a laboratory confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 infection within the previous three months are not required to undergo testing, and may instead, travel with documentation of recovery. That documentation should include; a positive COVID-19 viral test result on a sample taken no more than 90 days before the flight’s departure, and a letter from a licensed health care provider, or a public health official, stating the individual is cleared to travel.