Children will not need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the US after November 8.
Children under 18 will not need to prove that they are vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the United States after November 8, when the new entry regulations begin to apply to this country, the Government of Joe Biden indicated on Monday.
The exemption takes into account regulatory differences over childhood immunizations and the availability of vaccines between countries, a senior White House official said during a conference call to clarify modalities for reopening the borders for air travel.
The United States will reopen its borders to foreign visitors with full COVID-19 vaccination on November 8, more than 18 months after closing them to much of the world to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
But the borders will in fact be closed for many Latin Americans with less access to the vaccine in their countries and who until now traveled as tourists to the United States to get immunized.
However, the US health authorities will allow some “very limited” exceptions to this vaccination obligation, according to the same source.
In addition to children, certain participants in clinical trials of anticovid vaccines, people with medical contraindications to vaccination, travelers who travel for urgent or humanitarian reasons (with justification) and people who arrive, for reasons other than tourism, from countries will be exempt. where the vaccine is difficult to obtain, according to a document distributed by the Biden Administration.
Unvaccinated children over two years of age must have a test (antigen or PCR) within three days of departure if traveling with vaccinated adults. The deadline is shortened to one day if they travel alone or with unvaccinated adults.
In general, any foreigner must be tested (antigen or PCR) within three days before departure if they are vaccinated, or the day before departure if they are not vaccinated.
The same testing requirements will apply to US citizens and permanent residents returning to the United States.
According to the White House, it will be up to the airlines to verify proof of vaccination before boarding.
The United States informed that all vaccines approved by the FDA drug agency and the World Health Organization (WHO) will be accepted. At the moment, this includes vaccines from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer / BioNTech, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.
Different combinations of vaccines will also be allowed for the first dose and boosters, the White House said.
This excludes for now travelers immunized with the Russian vaccine Sputnik V and the Chinese CanSino, with no green light yet from the FDA or the WHO, but which were applied in many Latin American countries, including Argentina and Mexico.
The United States will also require airlines to collect information from travelers that allows US health authorities to locate them after entering the country in case of infection or contact with an infected person. (I)
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