COVID-19 pandemic era rules, Title 42 ending this week: explainer

COVID-19 Pandemic-era rules coming to an end Thursday

Along with Title 42, several COVID-19 era rules are ending that could impact everything from international travel, federal assistance programs, and more.

HOUSTON - Several pandemic-era changes are coming this week, and it might be overwhelming to keep track of it all or how it will affect residents.

For example, this week marks the end of coronavirus restrictions on asylum that have allowed the U.S. to quickly expel migrants at the southern border, known as Title 42, for the last three years.

MORE: What is Title 42 and how has the US used it to curb migration?

The restrictions come from the eponymous title of a 1944 public health law that allows curbs on migration in the name of protecting public health.

Simultaneously, free COVID testing concludes on May 11 when the federal government ends its public health emergency for COVID-19.

Houston Mayor Sylvester turner released this:

"The City of Houston is considering options to provide support but lacks sufficient resources to meet the overwhelming needs of the migrant community. Currently, we are waiting to see what resources the federal government will provide before determining how and if we can assist. In the meantime, we are grateful for our nonprofit community and partners like Catholic Charities and Casa Juan Diego that are receiving a limited number of buses but are also equally under-resourced and overwhelmed. We hope the federal government can provide the needed resources for us to create a structured plan to fully assist."

Title 42 to end on Thursday, lawmakers share mixed signals on border security

The deadline for Title 42 is quickly approaching. FOX 26 spoke with Professor Parker Sheffy, Legal and Advocacy Director with Houston Immigration Legal Services about the impending deadline.

After that date, many insurance programs will no longer have to reimburse individuals for up to eight at-home tests a month.

Insurers can also charge copays and related fees for tests at hospitals or doctor's offices. Experts worry that uncertainty about costs could lead people to delay getting tested, the Associated Press reported.

This comes on the heels of The World Health Organization announcing recently that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide, and killed at least 7 million people worldwide.

WHO said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasn't come to an end, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The U.N. health agency says that thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week.

"It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.