US to lift curbs from November 8 for vaccinated foreign travelers - White House

Washington: The White House on Friday said it will lift COVID-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated foreign nationals effective Nov. 8, ending historic restrictions that barred much of the world from the United States.

Restrictions on non-U.S. citizens were first imposed on air travelers from China in January 2020 by then-President Donald Trump and then extended to dozens of other countries, without any clear metrics for how and when to lift them.

Curbs on non-essential travelers at land borders with Mexico and Canada have been in place since March 2020 to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reuters first reported Friday`s announcement of the Nov. 8 starting date earlier in the day.

U.S. airline, hotel and cruise industry stocks rose on the news, including American Airlines, up 1.9%; Marriott International Inc, up 2.2%; and Carnival Corp, up 1.3%.

The United States had lagged many other countries in lifting such restrictions, and allies welcomed the move. The U.S. restrictions have barred travelers from most of the world, including tens of thousands of foreign nationals with relatives or business links in the United States.

The White House on Tuesday announced it would lift restrictions at its land borders and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico for fully vaccinated foreign nationals in early November. They are similar but not identical to requirements announced last month for international air travelers.

Unvaccinated visitors will still be barred from entering the United States from Canada or Mexico at land borders.

Canada on Aug. 9 began allowing fully vaccinated U.S. visitors for non-essential travel.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told Reuters last week the United States will accept the use by international visitors of COVID-19 vaccines authorized by U.S. regulators or the World Health Organization.

The White House, which held a meeting late Thursday to finalize the Nov. 8 date, still faces some remaining questions, including how and what exemptions the Biden administration will grant to the vaccine requirements. Children under 18, for example, are largely expected to be exempt from the requirements, an official said.

U.S. Travel Association Chief Executive Roger Dow said in a statement that the Nov. 8 date "is critically important for planning - for airlines, for travel-supported businesses, and for millions of travelers worldwide who will now advance plans to visit the United States once again."

The White House announced on Sept. 20 that the United States would lift restrictions on air travelers https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/us-relax-travel-restrictions-passengers-uk-eu-november-source-2021-09-20 from 33 countries in early November. It did not specify the date at the time.

Starting Nov. 8, the United States will admit fully vaccinated foreign air travelers from the 26 so-called Schengen countries in Europe, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Greece, as well as Britain, Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil. The unprecedented U.
S. restrictions have barred non-U.S. citizens who were in those countries within the past 14 days.

The United States has allowed foreign air travelers from more than 150 countries throughout the pandemic, a policy that critics said made little sense because some countries with high COVID-19 rates were not on the restricted list, while some on the list had the pandemic more under control.

The White House said last month it would apply vaccine requirements to foreign nationals traveling from all other countries.

Non-U.S. air travelers will need to show proof of vaccination before boarding a flight, and will need to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test. Foreign visitors crossing a land border will not need to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test.

The new rules do not require foreign visitors or Americans entering the country to go into quarantine.

Americans traveling overseas must still show proof of a recent negative COVID-19, and unvaccinated Americans will face stricter COVID-19 testing requirements. They will also be subject to restrictions in the countries they plan to visit, which may include quarantines.

The CDC plans to soon issue new rules on contact tracing for international air travelers.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

British MP David Amess dies after being stabbed in Essex!

Image
London: The Conservative legislator was attacked at a church during a constituency meeting.United Kingdom MP Sir David Amess died on Friday after being stabbed multiple times in Essex, Sky News reported, citing the police. A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Amess, who is a Conservative legislator and represents the Southend West area in Essex, was stabbed during a constituency surgery at the Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea town. Constituency surgery refers to officeholders meeting their constituents on matters of local or national importance. In a statement, the Essex police said that they have recovered a knife from the accused person. "We attended and found a man injured," the statement said. "He was treated by emergency services but, sadly, died at the scene." The police added: "We are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the wider public." West Le...
Read more

US: COVID-19 cases among children peaked in September, shows data

Image
London: New data shows that September was the worst month in the US for new cases and deaths. Data from the American Academy of Pediatrics reveals that cases among children peaked in September, as many schools opened for offline classes amid growing cases of delta variant. More than 6 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, with more than 1.1 million new cases recorded from September 3 to September 30. The data has been obtained from individual states, which have varying definitions of "child." While some include 19-year-olds, West Virginia includes people up to age 20. | Pfizer asks US government to allow COVID vaccine for children ages 5-11 A very small proportion of young children infected with COVID-19 get severely ill or die. The weekly data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that COVID-19 deaths among children under age 15 also reached their highest level in September. Recently, Pfizer has asked the ...
Read more