The White House said it will lift travel restrictions for COVID-19 for fully vaccinated foreign nationals as of November 8, ending extraordinary restrictions that prohibited much of the world from accessing USA.
The restrictions on non-U.S. Citizens were first imposed on travelers arriving by air from China in January 2020 by then-President Donald Trump, and then spread to dozens of other countries, without any clear criteria on how. and when to lift them.
Restrictions on non-essential travel at the land borders with Mexico and Canada have been in place since March 2020 to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
The actions of the airlines, hotels and cruise ships of the United States rose after the news, among them American Airlines, that gained 1.9%; Marriott International Inc 2.2%; and Carnival Corp 1.3%.
US restrictions have barred travelers from most parts of the world, including tens of thousands of foreign nationals with family or business ties to the United States.
The White House announced Tuesday that it would lift restrictions on its land borders and on ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico for fully vaccinated foreigners in early November. These criteria are similar, but not identical, to the requirements announced last month for international travelers by air.
Unvaccinated visitors will continue to be prohibited from entering the United States from Canada or Mexico at land borders.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said last week that the United States will accept the use of COVID-19 vaccines authorized by US regulators or the World Health Organization by international visitors. .
The White House faces some outstanding questions, including how and what exemptions the government will grant to vaccine requirements. Children under the age of 18, for example, are expected to be exempted from the requirements, an official said.
The White House announced on September 20 that the United States would lift restrictions on air travelers from 33 countries in early November. At that time he did not specify the date.
Beginning November 8, the United States will admit fully vaccinated foreign air travelers from the 26 European countries of the Schengen area, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Greece, as well as the United Kingdom, Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil.
The restrictions have barred entry to non-US citizens who have been in those countries in the past 14 days.
The United States has allowed access to foreign travelers by air from more than 150 countries throughout the pandemic, a policy that critics say does not make much sense because some countries with high rates of COVID-19 were not on the list of restrictions, while others on the list had the pandemic more under control.
Non-US air travelers will need to show proof of vaccination before boarding a flight, and they will have to show a recent negative COVID-19 test. Foreign visitors crossing a land border will not have to show a recent negative COVID-19 test.
The new rules do not require foreign visitors or Americans arriving in the country to be quarantined.
For their part, Americans traveling abroad will need to continue to submit a recent negative COVID-19 test, 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.
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