Fully vaccinated travelers welcome to U.S. starting Nov. 8 but with restrictions
The Biden administration will lift travel restrictions in starting Nov. 8 for fully vaccinated international visitors arriving in the U.S. by air travel or by crossing land borders, according to a White House official.
Foreign nationals will be able to travel to the U.S. if they show proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of travel. The policy change was announced in September, but now the White House has set the date.
White House spokesman Kevin Munoz wrote on social media that the policy “is guided by public health, [and is] stringent, and consistent.”
The move makes good on a promise last month to replace the patchwork ban on most non-Americans from the targeted countries and regions with a vaccination-based system.
The U.S. plans to implement a similar vaccine requirement for incoming visitors from Canada and Mexico when it opens the land borders to nonessential travel next month.
The country-specific rules were first set by the Trump administration early in the pandemic as officials sought to slow the spread of COVID-19 as it ravaged some countries.
They were extended by the new Biden administration in the winter.
But the rules were widely derided by the countries impacted, especially as many of them experienced major dips in COVID infections and other countries were hit harder.
The measure will also offer relief to airlines that have struggled to return to profitability during the pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has informed airlines that all FDA-approved vaccines, as well as those that have an Emergency Use Listing from the World Health Organization, are acceptable. The CDC plans to issue guidelines on acceptable proof of vaccination in the coming weeks.
With News Wire Services