US to lift travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers |
The United States announced September 20 that it will lift Covid travel bans in early November for all air passengers if they are fully vaccinated and undergo testing and contact tracing. The unprecedented restrictions had kept relatives, friends and business travellers around the world separated for many months as the pandemic grinded on. The announcement was made by Jeffrey Zients, coronavirus response coordinator for President Joe Biden. Travel restrictions were imposed by Donald Trump 18 months ago as the Covid-19 pandemic first erupted. Removing the ban marks a significant shift by Biden and answers a major demand from European allies at a time of strained diplomatic relations. Numerous safeguards will remain in place to suppress spread of the virus, which has already killed more than 675 thousand Americans and is resurgent after what many had hoped was a lasting dip earlier in 2021. It was not immediately clear if the new rule only applied to US-approved vaccines or if other brands, such as those produced in China or Russia, would also qualify. Zients said that would be determined by the US Centers for Disease Control. Restrictions on vehicle movement from Canada and Mexico will remain in place.
|
|
|
|