From December 28, passengers flying to United from Heathrow Airport in London in the United States must provide a test for a negative coronavirus test or an antigen test performed within a period of three days after departure, company officials said in a statement.
United’s policy applies to your flights flying from Heathrow to Newark, New Jersey, as well as to the company’s flights to Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, DC.
British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic announced similar requirements on Monday for flights from the UK to New York.
On Thursday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said his state would require U.S. passengers to test negative for the virus within 72 hours of their flights from London to Newark.
“As we continue to experience a second wave of COVID-19 cases, it is critical that we take all necessary precautions to mitigate the potential for future transmissions,” the statement said in part, ”the governor said.
United said the health and safety of its workers and passengers is its “top priority”.
Passengers connecting London Heathrow with a United flight from another country would be exempt from the policy, the airline said.
United said it has already forced passengers to acknowledge that they have not been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the last 14 days and that they are showing no symptoms.
When he checked in for the flight, the passenger acknowledged on the airline’s Ready-to-Fly checklist that he had not been diagnosed with Covid-19 and that he had no Covid-related symptoms, an airline spokeswoman said.
After receiving more information about the health of this passenger, “it is clear that he erroneously acknowledged this requirement,” the spokeswoman said.
CNN’s Chris Boyette and Sheena Jones contributed to this report.