TRAVEL UPDATE - 28 May 2021 - US TRAVELERS ONLY
After your lovely vacation in Tahiti & Her Islands, to return back to the US, you can now use self-tests !
AS A REMINDER : PCR test (or rapid antigenic) required prior to to your return to the United States only.
Beginning January 26, 2021, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires all passengers 2 years of age or older on a flight to the United States, regardless of their immunization status, to present at check-in :
- A negative result from a Covid-19 viral test carried out within 3 days prior to their international flight.
- Or, in the case of a previous Covid-19 infection within the last 90 days prior to departure, a positive viral test result, along with an official letter from a physician indicating that the passenger has made a full recovery and is authorized to travel.
The CDC Covid-19 test required is a viral test of any of the following:
- The test must be a viral test.
- The following types of viral COVID-19 tests can be used: Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) In addition to NAAT, phrases indicating a NAAT† could include, but are not limited to: • Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) • Quantitative PCR (qPCR) • Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) • Transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) • Molecular test or molecular diagnostic test • Isothermal amplification • Droplet Digital PCR or digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) • Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR).
And now for good news!
Instead of having to return early to the island of Tahiti to have your Covid 19 viral test at the international airport, you can now choose to self-test in your hotel room whether you are on the island of Bora Bora, Moorea, Huahine or Fakarava… and here’s how !
- Self-testing kits ordered from emed (www.emed.com/airline-travel) are now approved for use by the CDC. These will be accepted by Air Tahiti Nui, within the CDC guidelines found on the emed website. The test type is the Abbott’s BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag test detecting active COVID-19 infections and FDA authorized home test for SARS-CoV-2. These test kits must be ordered in the United States prior to departure. Click on this link to discover how the tests work ! Click here
- If not, you can still choose to be tested directly at the Faa’a International Airport as follows : For travelers who could not carry out their test before reaching the international airport, antigenic testing are available at Tahiti Faa’a Airport. Hours: on all days with flights operating to Los Angeles from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm