COVID-19: US to reopen borders to fully vaccinated foreign travellers after 20 month-ban

Nearly 20 months after the entry ban, the United States is reopening its air borders for fully vaccinated foreign tourists starting from Monday. Former US President Donald Trump had issued the travel restriction to curb the COVID-19 outbreak, which has largely impacted non-US nationals from more than 30 nations, along with the United Kingdom and EU member states, causing family separation and halting tourism.  

It is expected that the airlines will be facing a surge of tourists as the restrictions are relaxed for people who have been completely vaccinated and have undergone testing, BBC reported. As per the new guidelines, foreign travellers must be "completely vaccinated" and will be required to produce evidence of vaccination before travelling. Documentation on physical paper and in digital format are both acceptable. It is the duty of Airlines authorities to collect and confirm this information from passengers. 

New guidelines for foreign travellers in US

Further, vaccinations are not required for children under the age of 18 for travelling. A negative COVID-19 test is also required for air travel. All completely vaccinated air travellers aged 2 and above, irrespective of any nation, must be tested. Within three days of their departure flight for the United States, travellers must test negative for COVID-19. There will be no need for quarantine. 

American citizens who are yet to get the jab and a small number of unvaccinated foreign visitors are excluded from the vaccination mandate and yet, they must have to take a negative COVID-19 test within one day of arriving in the United States. According to CNN, several airlines offer mobile applications and portals on their websites where vaccination and testing information may be handled digitally. 

Certain restrictions in some of the US states and municipalities

Although most of the US has opened for foreign visitors, yet, there are some states and municipalities which have still imposed certain limitations. Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada and Oregon, are some of the places which still have mask laws. Masks are also required in indoor public locations in Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. Vaccine mandates for indoor public venues, such as restaurants, are in place in several jurisdictions, including New York and San Francisco, according to CNN. 

Furthermore, all vaccinations certified by the US Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization will be allowed for plane travel, according to US health officials. AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Covaxin, Sinopharm, and Sinovac vaccines are the authorised COVID vaccine for foreign travellers. 

(Image: AP)