Biden signs order loosening international travel rules for vaccinated passengers
President Joe Biden on Monday ordered that restrictions on international travel to the United States be based on the vaccination status of travelers, not their country of origin.
Pandemic-related travel restrictions into the U.S. began in early 2020 under former President Trump. Travel to the U.S. has been restricted for noncitizens traveling within 2 weeks of being in South Africa, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland and 26 nations in Europe because of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Under the new rules, which take effect Nov. 8, all noncitizens who are not immigrants will be required to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination before flying, a senior Biden administration official said. Any vaccine approved or authorized by the FDA or WHO will be accepted.
Children aged younger than 18 years and travelers from countries where less than 10% of people are vaccinated because of a lack of available vaccines are exempted from the rule, the official said.
Unvaccinated airline passengers — including American citizens and lawful permanent residents — will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test within 1 day of departure to the U.S., according to the official.
Fully vaccinated people traveling to the U.S. — regardless of citizenship — will be required to show proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test taken within 3 days before traveling, the official said.
Children aged younger than 2 years are not required to provide a test.
In light of rising vaccination rates in the U.S. and elsewhere, Biden said “it is in the interests of the United States to move away from the country-by-country restrictions previously applied during the COVID-19 pandemic and to adopt an air travel policy that relies primarily on vaccination to advance the safe resumption of international air travel to the United States.”
Passengers traveling to the U.S. will also be required to provide basic, valid contact information to airlines before departure, according to the White House official.
“This will allow airlines to better coordinate with public health agencies, to share information when needed, to keep the public safe and informed, and strengthen their ability to rapidly identify and contact people in the United States who may have been exposed to a communicable disease, such as COVID-19,” the official said.
The CDC said it has issued orders to implement the new policy.
References:
CDC. CDC issues orders operationalizing the president’s safer, more stringent international travel system. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p1025-International-Travel-System.html. Accessed Oct. 25, 2021.
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The White House. A proclamation on advancing the safe resumption of global travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/10/25/a-proclamation-on-advancing-the-safe-resumption-of-global-travel-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/. Accessed Oct. 25, 2021.
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