Fully-Vaxxed, PCR-Tested Travelers Could Enter the U.S. from Nov. 8

The United States is set to overhaul its travel restrictions Nov. 8, ushering in a new system that makes U.S. tourism possible for millions of fully vaccinated foreign nationals. 

The new travel system essentially drops the travel ban that has prevented most inbound travel from dozens of countries – including most European Union member states, the United Kingdom and China – since early 2020. Meanwhile, travelers from countries that were not part of the ban will face more stringent entry requirements with a new vaccine mandate.

Foreign national air travelers will need to provide proof of vaccination status to fly to the U.S. They will also need to show a pre-departure negative COVID test taken no more than three days ahead of boarding. 

International visitors who cross land borders with Canada and Mexico or by passenger ferry for non-essential reasons will also be required to be vaccinated and show vaccination proof, the White House official continued. By January, foreign national travelers crossing land borders for both essential and non-essential reasons will need to be fully vaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and World Health Organization will be accepted for air travel. The White House official said the same will likely be true for land travel.

As of Friday, vaccines approved for emergency use by the WHO are Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca/Covishield, Sinopharm and Sinovac. The CDC confirmed Friday that it would accept a mix-and-match approach to vaccinations. Travelers who have any combination of FDA- or WHO-approved vaccines will be considered fully vaccinated.

The new travel system also adds more stringent testing requirements for unvaccinated U.S. travelers.

Vaccinated Americans will still need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken no more than three days before departure. If unvaccinated, they will need to take a test one day before departure and test again upon arrival. Americans won't have to show proof of vaccination to board international flights to the U.S. 

Source: USA Today