US to loosen restrictions for vaccinated international travelers
Beginning in November, the Biden administration will loosen travel restrictions for people arriving from other countries who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, a White House advisor told reporters Monday.
Restrictions on travel to the United States were implemented starting in early 2020 under former President Trump. In February of this year, in reaction to several emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, President Biden suspended entry into the U.S. of noncitizens traveling within 2 weeks of being in South Africa and reinstated restrictions on travelers from Brazil, the United Kingdom — excluding overseas territories — Ireland and an area of Europe encompassing 26 countries.
Experts have debated whether travel restrictions work to prevent the spread of a pathogen. Jeff Zients, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, told reporters Monday that fully vaccinated foreign travelers who provide proof of vaccination will be able to travel to the U.S. but must also show proof of a negative test within 3 days before arriving, The New York Times reported.
“International travel is critical to connecting families and friends, to fueling small and large businesses, to promoting the open exchange ideas and culture,” Zients said, according to the report. “That’s why, with science and public health as our guide, we have developed a new international air travel system that both enhances the safety of Americans here at home and enhances the safety of international air travel.”
According to CNN, Zients said the CDC would determine which vaccines will qualify someone as being cully vaccinated.
Unvaccinated travelers will have to provide proof of a negative test 1 day before arriving in the U.S. and then an additional negative test once they arrive, Zients said.
According to the Times report, the CDC will issue an order directing airlines to collect contact information from passengers, such as phone numbers and email addresses, in an attempt to create a new contact-tracing system.
References:
Liptak K, et al. CNN. US to ease travel restrictions on fully vaccinated foreign visitors. https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/20/politics/biden-administration-international-travel-restrictions/index.html. Accessed September 20, 2021.
Kanno-Youngs Z, Landler M. The New York Times. The Biden administration will lift restrictions on fully vaccinated international travelers in November. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/20/us/politics/us-travel-ban.html. Accessed September 20, 2021.
Perspective
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President Biden's lifting of international travel bans is long overdue. Banning Europeans and other travelers from countries with lower case counts and higher vaccination rates was absurd. Failing to use vaccine credentials for entry to the U.S. until now was irrational because vaccines are our best safety tool.
I recommend that the U.S. accept only vaccines that have been authorized by stringent regulatory agencies. That means not accepting Chinese or Russian vaccines with low or unknown effectiveness. Vaccine credentialing systems need to be secure and reliable.
Finally, and most importantly, the U.S. must act ethically, not discriminating against travelers from countries with limited access to vaccinations. For those travelers, rigorous testing and safety protocols are required.
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Kanno-Youngs Z, Landler M. The New York Times. The Biden administration will lift restrictions on fully vaccinated international travelers in November. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/20/us/politics/us-travel-ban.html. Accessed Sept. 20, 2021.
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