- US is lifting travel restrictions for international visitors who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
- Foreign travelers fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be allowed to enter the US starting on November 8
- New US policy is guided by public health, stringent, and consistent, says the White House.
The White House announced today the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions, and said that all foreign travelers who are fully inoculated against coronavirus will be allowed to enter the United States from November 8.
White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz confirmed today that “the US’ new travel policy that requires vaccination for foreign national travelers to the United States will begin on November 8.”
Mr. Munoz also posted on Twitter that the policy “is guided by public health, stringent, and consistent.”
Strict US travel restrictions kept millions of visitors from China, Canada, Mexico, India, Brazil, much of Europe out of the United States , crippled US tourism, and hurt border community economies.
Last month, the White House said that it would lift restrictions on air travelers from over 30 countries, including China, India, Iran, and most of Europe from early November, but it stopped short of providing a precise date.
On Tuesday, US officials said the country would lift movement restrictions at its land borders and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico for those fully-vaccinated.
COVID-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) which are not used or authorized in the US will be recognized as a valid form of inoculation, giving the greenlight for the UK-developed AstraZeneca, as well as China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac.
Canada reopened its land border with the US in early August to fully-vaccinated Americans with a negative COVID-19 test for non-essential travel. The lack of reciprocity from its neighbor, however, drew complaints from Canadian officials.
The ban on a large number of non-US citizens entering America has been enforced for over 18 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Former President Donald Trump first imposed bans on air travelers from China in early 2020, and then extended this restriction to much of Europe.
