US Lifts Travel Ban. Who is Allowed to Visit?

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Monday, The White House announced In November, the European Union will lift the ban on most travelers from China, Iran, South Africa, Brazil and India as long as they can show proof of vaccination and a negative coronavirus test.

The new rules were widely celebrated by many countries whose citizens were banned from entering the United States directly unless they engaged in inappropriate and often expensive maneuvers.

For example, it will put an end to one of the weirder pandemic solutions that have emerged: Travelers from prohibited countries spend two weeks in an intermediate country – usually Mexico or the Dominican Republic – and previously received a negative coronavirus test there. He flies to the United States. (Travelers didn’t have to quarantine when visiting this other country, just because they had 14 days before entering a destination. was not on the banned list granted them travel privileges.)

In the last six months, 28-year-old Swiss Fabienne Walther has helped nearly 20 Europeans enter the United States via Mexico. Some have rented a room in their temporary home in Playa del Carmen. In other cases, he only offered moral support and tips on where to eat.

“All travel through Mexico is a joke,” he said, given that catching the coronavirus is actually more of a risk than most of the travelers he has helped in the Cancún area than in their hometowns.

Soon the Mexican workaround will no longer be necessary. But the new policy, which applies to anyone traveling by air from abroad, has raised many questions. Many details have yet to be worked out, but take a look at what is currently known about how the new policy will affect entry to the US.

For the last 18 months, Almost all Visitors from banned countries, including members of the European Union and a handful of others, are prohibited from traveling directly to the United States. White House pandemic coordinator Jeffrey D. Zients announced on Monday that by early November, this policy will no longer apply. Individuals from these countries can fly to the US as they did before the pandemic, provided they show proof of vaccination and a negative coronavirus test done within three days of boarding the plane. No quarantine will be required.

The CDC will also issue an order directing airlines to collect passenger phone numbers and email addresses for a new contact tracing system. Additional details of the contact tracing system have not yet been disclosed.

Unvaccinated persons who are not American citizens will not be allowed to enter the United States.

The Biden Administration has yet to specify when the new rules will take effect in November.

A spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the agency is still “in the regulatory process”, but people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks or two after a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. After a single dose of vaccine such as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Vaccines listed for emergency use The CDC said it would also apply to the World Health Organization, such as AstraZeneca and Oxford.

The new policy applies to all non-US citizens, including individuals from Japan, Singapore, Mexico, and many other countries whose citizens can fly to the United States during the pandemic. While vaccination status does not currently affect whether these individuals can enter the United States, only fully vaccinated travelers will be permitted in November.

They already have to show proof of a negative coronavirus test done within three days of boarding the plane. This necessity will stay.

The policy applies to all “foreign nationals”, meaning that long-term residents of the United States and non-American citizens cannot leave the country and then re-enter the country unless they are fully vaccinated.

The vaccination requirement does not apply to US citizens. But the new policy requires Americans to prove a negative result of a test conducted within one day of their return flight to the United States and retest after landing.

Most countries that currently require vaccinations for entry make exceptions for children too young to be vaccinated. The US seems likely to do the same, but the White House declined to comment on the details of that policy. It is not yet clear what the other exceptions will be.

People flying from Canada and Mexico will face the same restrictions as people from other countries: They must be fully vaccinated, get a negative coronavirus test, and provide personal information for contact tracing. Currently, land borders with Canada and Mexico closed A policy that is expected to remain in effect until at least October 21, for all but essential travel.

According to the White House pandemic coordinator, Mr. Zients, the new policy for international visitors only applies to people boarding the plane. Therefore, it is possible for an unvaccinated person to enter the United States by land, given the reason for travel is significant. Definition of “basic” offered by U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Canada include “study and education, critical infrastructure support, economic services and supply chains, health, emergency medical care, and safety and security.”

At Monday’s press conference, Mr. Zients declined to comment on the future of land border restrictions after the current policy expires on October 21.

For people from many parts of the world – even before the pandemic – access to the United States was not easy. One of the reasons the travel ban has had such a profound effect is that it has been applied to many countries whose citizens have traditionally avoided US visa requirements, and easiest time gains entry.

The new policy does not rewrite people who can enter the United States without a visa, nor does it rewrite the consequences of violating visa rules, for example, by staying in the country longer than permitted.

But it severely limits who can enter the United States. Only four percent The entire population in Africa is vaccinated; less than a third In many parts of Latin America, Asia and the Middle East, all residents have been vaccinated. In some cases, not getting vaccinated is a choice; in others, people do not have access to vaccines. Whatever their reason, these individuals will no longer be able to travel to the United States.


Ceylan Yeğinsu contributed to the news from Turkey.



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