Completely Vaccinated Visitors Can Enter US from November 8

Last Updated on Oct 28th, 2024 by Priyanka Jadhav, Leave a Comment

On Friday last week, the White House announced that international travelers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 can be allowed to enter the United States from November 8. This policy was already outlined in early September. This signifies the end of 21-month long historic Covid-19 restrictions that barred the world from entering the United States. 

The White House barred most immigrants, nonimmigrants who are non-citizens of the USA and have been present within the following countries during the 14-day period before they entered the United States. These countries are China, Iran, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Brazil, South Africa, the European Schengen area, and India with their unprecedented travel restrictions. 

These travel restrictions against Covid-19 were first set by the Trump administration during the beginning of the pandemic and were extended in the presence of the new Biden administration during the winters. The new travel restrictions affected the Americans and non-citizens alike who wished to fly into the country. 

This led to many backlashes by citizens and non-citizens of Americans alike. Many loved ones were prevented from reuniting with their families. It also affected the travel industry and mainly the international ticket sales. It did not affect the U.S citizens, lawful permanent residents, legal guardians or siblings of U.S. citizens who are minors, exchange students, and new students. 

United States’ Entry Requirements for International Travelers

Regarding international air travel, the White House has announced that they would be allowing fully vaccinated travelers from 33 countries specified above. It is mandatory for every passenger entering the United States to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

While boarding the U.S.-bound flight, passengers must carry proof of vaccination and a negative RT-PCR Covid-19 test taken 72 hours before the flight departure. 

Although there would be no requirement of being quarantined, however, contact tracing will be strengthened. And few other Covid-19 regulations that are applicable all over the world would need to be followed such as the maintenance of social distancing in public areas, use of masks in public areas, and sanitization of hands on a regular basis. These requirements apply to passengers booking flights to India as well.

The White House coronavirus coordinator mentions that these rules will help protect the country and help in enhancing the safety of international air travel. Furthermore, unvaccinated individuals must remember that only the unvaccinated citizens of America will be allowed entry with a negative Covid-19 test. Unvaccinated foreign nationals will be debarred from entering the country. 

Read More: International Travel Guidelines for USA to India During Covid-19

How does the New U.S Travel Policy Affect Children?

Although the air travel rules applied to children have been unclear, a White House official stated that children will be mostly exempted from the vaccine requirements. However, last month the White House press secretary had disclosed that children of American citizenship and foreign nationals who are not vaccinated would be subjected to stricter testing guidelines. 

Vaccines Accepted by the United States

The Biden administration has asked the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to take charge in determining which vaccine can be qualified and accepted. This announcement comes as a major victory for the travel industry as many countries pushed to change the stringent policies regarding vaccines. 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that vaccines approved by the FDA and WHO will be accepted for air travel of citizens and non-citizens of the U.S. These vaccines are: 

• Johnson and Johnson
• Moderna
• Pfizer-BioNTech
• Oxford-AstraZeneca/ Covishield
• Sinopharm
• Sinovac

Travel Industry Welcomes the Ease of U.S Travel Policy

The pre-coronavirus world observed the travel and tourism industry booming and slowly becoming one of the vital sectors of the world economy accounting for at least 10 percent of the global GDP. The spread of the coronavirus leading to the Covid-19 crisis which further led to a collapse of international travel to the United States. 

According to the World Tourism Organization, the arrival of international travelers declined significantly on a global scale which put millions of tourism jobs at risk. This move led to a massive loss in the revenues of tourism-dependent countries. 

However, now with the ease of travel restrictions for foreign nationals, the tourism industry has hope that it will flourish again. The ease of travel guidelines is only applicable to fully vaccinated international visitors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is travel to the USA possible with mixed vaccines?

A: According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, fully vaccinated passengers are allowed in the U.S. Individuals can have mixed doses of vaccines, however, these vaccines should be approved by the USA. 

Q: Before leaving the United States, are fully vaccinated passengers required to test for Covid-19?

A: Yes, passengers who travel to and from the US, regardless of their vaccination status, are required to carry a negative RT-PCR Covid-19 test report to submit before the flight departure.

Q: Why are passengers required to quarantine for 14-days post traveling during the Covid-19 pandemic?

A: A passenger is required to quarantine post their travel as they could have been exposed to Covid-19. They might not be infected, but they still are carriers that can spread the infection. Which might pose a risk to people around you.