Kabul Evacuees Exempted From COVID-19 Testing As Humanitarian Waiver: US

Although Afghanistan had been a hotspot for the pandemic, US said evacuees are not required to get negative COVID-19 test result.

Associated Press

Updated on: 20 August 2021 7:56 am

Amid the chaos and confusion at the airport, the US on Thursday said it has taken at least one step to ease requirements for those seeking to leave: COVID-19 tests.

Although Afghanistan had been a hotspot for the coronavirus pandemic, the State Department said evacuees are not required to get a negative COVID-19 result to travel.

"A blanket humanitarian waiver has been implemented for COVID testing for all persons the US government is relocating from Afghanistan,” the department said.

It referred questions about how the matter would be handled once evacuees arrive in the United States to the Department of Health and Human Services. Medical exams, including coronavirus tests, had been required for evacuees prior to Taliban's weekend takeover of Kabul, which added extra urgency to efforts to get at-risk Afghans out of the country. (AP)