The US will exempt minors under 18 from the vaccination requirement for air entry into the country

USA announced the guidelines that will mark its opening of air borders to travelers vaccinated against the COVID-19 starting next November 8, and confirmed that it will make exceptions for children and for some citizens of about 50 countries with insufficient access to vaccines.

The Government also clarified that foreign travelers who are vaccinated with the complete schedule and want to fly to the United States will have to have undergone a COVID-19 test in the three days prior to the trip, and show the result when boarding, together to your proof of vaccination.

U.S. citizens and permanent residents who are not vaccinated must present a negative result of a COVID-19 test that will have to have been administered one day before the trip, that is, they will have less flexibility than those vaccinated to take that test.

“If you are fully vaccinated, you will have the possibility of taking the test three days before; while for those not vaccinated, this negative test must have been done immediately before the flight, explained a US official, who requested anonymity.

Foreigners who are not permanent residents in the United States and are not vaccinated will not be able to enter the country, with some “very limited exceptions,” recall the guidelines published by the White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The exceptions

Those exceptions include those under the age of 18, who in many cases have not yet received clearance to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Those who are between 2 and 17 years old will have to undergo tests three days before the trip – if accompanied by a vaccinated adult – or one day before – if they fly alone or with unvaccinated adults, the White House stressed in a statement.

“Some participants in clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines, and those who need to travel for emergency or humanitarian reasons,” will also be exempt from the vaccination requirement, provided they carry “a letter issued by the United States Government” that accredit that need, says the note.

In addition, travelers traveling on non-tourist visas from countries “with very low vaccine availability” are exempted, he adds.

Specifically, there are “about 50 countries” where “the total vaccination rate is less than 10%,” said the aforementioned US official.

The White House did not immediately provide that list, but, according to official data from different governments compiled by the Our World in Data portal, most of these countries are African, although there are also Nicaragua, Haiti, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

Those who arrive from those countries and intend to stay in the United States for more than 60 days must commit to being vaccinated in the United States, with “very limited exceptions,” stressed the White House.

The CDC has not yet clarified the guidelines for non-essential travelers to enter the United States by land from the borders with Mexico and Canada, which will also resume on November 8, but the exceptions are expected to be “similar” to those established for air traffic, said the aforementioned official.

The vaccines that will be accepted for air entry into the United States will be those that have been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), which so far are those from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen (from Johnson & Johnson), two versions of the AstraZeneca serum, and those from Sinopharm and Sinovac.

Travelers immunized with a combination of those vaccines will be allowed in, the CDC said this month.