The US lifts pandemic travel ban, opens doors to visitors
3 min read
The US lifted restrictions Monday on travel from a long list of nations including Mexico, Canada, and most of Europe, allowing tourists to make long-delayed trips and family members to reconnect with loved ones after more than a year and a half apart due to the pandemic travel ban.
Beginning Monday, the US is accepting fully vaccinated travelers at airports and land borders. Getting rid of a COVID-19 restriction that dates back to the Trump government. The new rules allow air travel from previously restricted nations as long as the traveler has proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test. Land travel from Mexico and Canada will require proof of vaccination, however no test.
Airlines are expecting additional travelers from Europe and somewhere else. Data from travel and analytics firm Cirium showed airlines are increasing flights between the United Kingdom and the U.S. by 21% this month over the month before.
The change will profoundly affect the boundaries with Mexico and Canada. Where traveling back and forth was a way of life until the pandemic hit and the U.S. shut down nonessential travel.
Malls, restaurants, and Main Street shops in U.S. border towns have been devastated by the lack of visitors from Mexico. On the boundary with Canada, cross-border hockey rivalries were community traditions until being upended by the pandemic. Churches that had members on both sides of the border are hoping to welcome parishioners they haven’t seen during the COVID-19 shutdown.
The US lifts pandemic travel ban
Loved ones have missed holidays, birthdays, and funerals while nonessential air travel was barred, and they are presently eager to reconnect.
River Robinson’s American partner wasn’t able to be in Canada for the birth of their child kid 17 months ago. Because of pandemic-related border closures. She was excited to hear the U.S. is reopening its land crossings to vaccinated travelers.
“I’m planning to take my child down for the American Thanksgiving,” said Robinson, who lives in St. Thomas, Ontario. “If all goes flawlessly at the border I’ll plan on taking him down however much I can. Is crazy to think he has an entire opposite side of the family he hasn’t even met yet.”
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As indicated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. will accept travelers who have been fully vaccinated with any of the vaccines approved for a crisis. Use by the World Health Organization, not just those in use in the U.S. That implies that the AstraZeneca NSE – 0.54 % vaccine, widely used in Canada, will be accepted.
For air travelers, the airlines are needed to check vaccine records and match them against ID. And if they don’t, they could face fines of up to almost $35,000 per violation. Airlines will also gather data about passengers for contact tracing efforts. There will be CDC workers spot-checking travelers for compliance in the U.S. At land borders, Customs and Border Protection agents will check vaccine proof.
The moves come as the U.S. has seen its COVID-19 outlook improve dramatically in recent weeks. Since the summer delta surge that pushed hospitals to the brink in many locations.
