United States Reopens Its Borders But What Rules Are In Place?
As of November 8, 2021, the United States has finally reopened its borders to international travel. However, some rules still apply during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Read on to find out what you need to know to be able to visit the US.
Travel rules for visiting the US
As of Monday, all adults arriving in the US are required to be fully vaccinated, with only limited exceptions. All will also need to show a negative COVID-19 test result in order to enter the country. For vaccinated travelers, the test must have been taken within 72 hours of arrival in the US. When it comes to unvaccinated visitors, the test must have been taken within 24 hours of arrival.
Children under the age of 18 are not required to be fully vaccinated, due to delays in making them eligible for the vaccines in many countries. However, they will still be required to provide a negative test result. Children under the age of two are exempt from both.
As for the airlines carrying the travelers, they are required to collect contact information from all passengers, whether they are vaccinated or not, in order to enable contact tracing.
Which vaccines are approved by the US?
Any vaccine approved for regular or emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization is accepted for entry into the US. These include AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer, Sinopharm, or Sinovac vaccines. Meanwhile, mixed doses of approved vaccines are also accepted.
Who is exempt?
It should be noted that travelers who participated in COVID-19 trials, suffered severe allergic reactions to the vaccines, or are from a country where shots are not widely available are exempt. The latter relates to visitors from countries with current vaccination rates below 10 percent of adults. The travelers may be allowed to enter the US with a government letter authorizing travel for a compelling reason. Currently, it is estimated there are around 50 countries in the world to which these rules would apply.
How will the travel rules be enforced?
Airlines will be responsible for the brunt of checking passengers’ vaccine records and matching them against identity information. Meanwhile, any airline that doesn’t enforce the rules could face penalties of up to almost $35,000 per violation.
Additionally, quarantine officers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will spot-check passengers arriving in the US to ensure compliance.
How has the travel industry reacted to the new rules?
Reactions are mixed in the travel industry, with some experts applauding the move, while others are saying that travel operators shouldn’t get their hopes up.
Euronews quotes Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst from San Francisco, who said the easing of country-specific restrictions will help. However, he said, “Anyone hoping for an explosion of international inbound visitors will be disappointed.”
“November 8 will be the start of the international travel recovery in the US, but I don’t believe we will see full recovery until 2023 at the earliest,” he added.
Meanwhile, the trade group of the US airline industry praised the new travel rules. Airlines for America said in a statement, “We have seen an increase in ticket sales for international travel over the past weeks, and are eager to begin safely reuniting the countless families, friends and colleagues who have not seen each other in nearly two years, if not longer.”
The new rules come into effect at a time when the US has seen a major decline in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks following the Delta variant surge in the summer that pushed many hospitals to the brink across the country.
Read up on official guidance on US travel restrictions here.
Readers, are you planning a trip to the US in the near future? Let us know your reaction to the new travel rules by dropping a comment below.
Be sure to catch up on everything happening with Travel. Come back here often for Travel news and updates.
Photo credit: Deposit Photos