WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. — President Biden announced Thursday that all international passengers coming into the United States will need to get a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of traveling starting on Monday. It comes as more cases of the omicron variant are confirmed in the U.S. The uncertainty surrounding the variant has travelers concerned in more ways than one.
For many passengers at Bradley International Airport, it's their first trip since the start of the pandemic.
"This is very, very much overdue. It's been a couple years and we are ready to kind of have some sense of normalcy," said Michelle Devlin of Springfield, Mass.
However, Connecticut's COVID-19 positivity rate continues to rise, leaving some passengers on edge. Thursday, it was 6.52%. Two weeks ago, it was 2.55%.
"I figured I have been vaccinated and boostered and wearing a mask, it comes to a point where you say, what else can I do?" said April Romano of Terryville.
Vaccines are an important part of feeling safe for many travelers.
"Especially with the variant right now but we're all vaccinated at this point so it feels pretty safe," Devlin said. "I was a little concerned that my younger one wasn't going to be able to before we left but we were able to sneak in both shots so it felt really good."
COVID-19 already wreaked havoc on travel plans, and people are hoping it doesn't happen again.
"I've actually had two trips to Walt Disney World canceled for various reasons because of the COVID. So this is the first time I've gotten this far so I am extremely excited to be going," Romano said.
If you are trying to be cautious, Attorney General William Tong said there are some things you can do.
"The best way to protect yourself is to protect yourself in advance. Make sure you know what you're buying, make sure you know what you're rights are, and make sure if you have travel insurance that you're covered," he said.
He said it is important to read the fine print and be aware of any refund or cancellation policies. Some people said they made sure to get travel insurance because it is better to be safe than sorry.
"We did cause you never know, I heard a lot of flights have been canceled due to COVID, so you need that to protect yourself," said Julio Salvador of Manchester.
If you run into any trouble with travel-related cancellations or refunds, you can call or make a complaint online with the Dept. of Consumer Protection or the Attorney General's Office.
Gaby Molina is a reporter and anchor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at gmolina@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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