SARS test required to enter U.S.?

[Emery]

Hey everyone. First, Nancy got her EMS last weekend, she has since flown to GZ, picked up her visa, and is in Shanghai, getting her medical records transferred to the yellow form. It's been a long 13 months. Her namecheck clearance took almost exactly 4 months. We're excited.

 

Anyway, at the Shanghai hospital yesterday, she was told that she must get tested for SARS before she can enter the U.S. They said that the test must be done within 10 days of travel, and costs 150 RMB.

 

Has anyone else heard this? She will be flying from Chengdu, and hopes she can get a SARS test there. If not, she may have to fly to Shanghai first, get the test, and go from Shanghai to L.A. the next day.

 

This may be a load of B.S. from the hospital, but I'd hate to find out I'm wrong, and she gets stuck in L.A., or sent back.

 

Thanks!

 

-Emery

[tonado]

A member from Candle wrote to me yesterday:

 

"FYI – New Precautions Due to SARS at United States points of entry

 

As a precaution against the SARS problem she was advised to go to the hospital and have herself checked. Which she did earlier this week. They issued a chest X-Ray and some accompanying papers of which she is to show to someone upon arrival in Los Angles (the port of entry). Evidently, an new precaution to avoid the spread of SARS in our country."

[tparrent]

Sounds like BS to me too. I do not believe there is a reliable test that would be accepted by the US anyway. There are very involved tests to show active SARS but nothing, as far as I know, that would give an all clear. Many firms are working on tests but most of the airports that are doing any kind of screening (Singapore for instance) are checking body temperature and that's a pretty rough indication.

 

The arilines and health authorities in the U.S. have not had the panic type reaction seen elsewhere. Good or bad (I think good), that seems to be the case now. If you are worried about it, call your airline's international desk. Most airlines are pretty good about giving information like this.

[tparrent]

One more point: if you do happen to get a "clearance paper" from some clinic in China, I would definitely NOT tell anyone about it unless they specifically ask you for it. Giving an Immigration Officer a form in Chinese with "SARS" on it is not going to make the POE process smoother!

 

Also, I travel frequently to China and I cannot imagine the U.S. authorities forcing me to go to a clinic (where the chance of transmission is MUCH higher than in other places) to get such a form.

 

Check and see with the airline.

 

Good luck and congratulations on the visa!

[Emery]

Thanks, guys. I'll tell Nancy the news, I think China Eastern, who should be her carrier, ought to know this. I'll ask her to call them.