The White House said Friday it would allow international travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 into the U.S. starting Nov. 8, lifting a ban on visitors from the European Union, UK and many other countries.
The White House last month said it planned to lift the travel restrictions, which barred most non-U.S. citizens who had recently been in Europe, Brazil, South Africa and elsewhere, in early November. The rules were first set Trump administration early in the pandemic to slow the spread of Covid-19, and extended by the new Biden administration in the winter. The Biden administration had said visitors would have to be fully vaccinated against Covid to enter.
The measure is a relief for large airlines like Delta, United and American, which have struggled to return to profitability with international travel curbed for more than a year and a half.
“The US’ new travel policy that requires vaccination for foreign national travellers to the United States will begin on Nov 8,” Kevin Munoz, White House assistant press secretary said in a tweet Friday. “This announcement and date applies to both international air travel and land travel. This policy is guided by public health, stringent, and consistent.”
The new travel system essentially drops the travel ban that has prevented most inbound travel from dozens of countries – including most European Union member states, the United Kingdom and China – since early 2020. Meanwhile, travellers from countries that were not part of the ban will face more stringent entry requirements with a new vaccine mandate.
Foreign national air travellers will need to provide proof of vaccination status to fly to the U.S. They will also need to show a pre-departure negative COVID test taken no more than three days ahead of boarding, according to a White House official not authorized to speak on the record.
(CNBC, USA Today)
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