United States to require adult foreigners to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the country

The american government will require adult foreigners to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the country, in a policy change that involves the lifting of entry restrictions for travelers from the United Kingdom, the European Union, Brazil and other countries affected by the measure imposed by COVID-19.

The White House confirmed the change in health policy on Monday end the measure that was in place before Joe Biden’s government began, but it will come into force at the beginning of November, to give airlines and travel agencies time to prepare for the new protocols.

Currently the US bans most non-US citizens who have been in the UK in the last 14 days, the 26 Schengen countries in Europe without border controls, Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil. And it allows the rest of qualified travelers to enter without a vaccination certificate.

Fully vaccinated passengers will be able to travel Once the ban is lifted in a few weeks, people participating in clinical trials of not yet approved formulas in the United States will also be allowed entry. Not shy, must present a negative PCR test performed 72 hours before travel, with no need to quarantine on arrival.

Meanwhile, unvaccinated U.S. citizens traveling overseas will also need to be tested one day before and one day after returning home.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will also require airlines to collect contact information from international travelers to facilitate contact tracing, Zients said.

At this time, it is unclear whether the requirement will apply to any vaccine approved by the countries of origin or only to formulations approved by Washington. The definition will be in the hands of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

El coordinador de la respuesta al coronavirus de la Casa Blanca, Jeff Zients, dijo la semana pasada a la Junta Consultiva de Viajes y Turismo de EEUU que la administración no tenía previsto relajar inmediatamente ninguna restricción de viaje, debido a los casos de la variant Delta , but what the determination of entry conditions for vaccinated foreign visitors was analyzed.

“This is based on individuals rather than a national approach, making it a stronger systemZients said Monday.

Some tourism industry officials feared the Biden government would lift travel restrictions for months or potentially until 2022. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had on his agenda to ask the president to allow travelers British to enter, as part of the meeting to be held in the United States.

Travel restrictions, which had been in place since March 2020, had been widely criticized by European partners, where the vaccination rate is higher than in the United States.

The case curve in the United States has remained on a plateau in recent days, with an average of nearly 150,000 infections per day, although the number of deaths continues to rise, exceeding 2,000 per day.

Biden has increased the pressure on the unvaccinated and the measure on passengers could underscore the importance of vaccination. In addition, he seeks to get leaders in power to commit to donating vaccines to the global COVAX initiative.

(With information from Reuters)

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