A coalition of airline, travel and aerospace industries and union and airport groups on Friday urged US President Joe Biden not to impose new COVID-19 testing requirements for travellers on domestic flights. The federal government has been mulling additional measures to fight the spread of the coronavirus and officials said this week health agencies are “actively looking” at such testing.

The industry, airport and union groups said in a letter to the White House that requiring tests before domestic air travel “is unwarranted.” It would “disproportionately prevent low-income travelers and rural Americans in small communities from travel,” said the International Air Transport Association, Airlines for America, U.S. Travel Association, Aerospace Industries Association and aviation union and airport groups.

Globally, countries are adding new travel restrictions, requirements and bans amid fears over the spread of a more contagious and potentially vaccine-resistant coronavirus variant first identified in South Africa. The first US cases were detected in South Carolina on Thursday.

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