Beginning on Nov. 8, foreign, non-immigrant adults traveling
to the United States will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with
limited exceptions, and all travelers will need to be tested for the virus
before boarding an aircraft to the U.S., with tightened restrictions for those
who are not fully vaccinated.
The new policy comes as the Biden administration moves away
from broader country-based travel restrictions and bans toward what it terms a
"vaccinations-based" system focused on the individual risk of the
traveler. It almost reflects the White House's embrace of vaccination
requirements in an effort to drive more Americans to get vaccinated by piling
on inconveniences to those remaining without a shot.
Under the policy, those who are unvaccinated will need to
show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within a day of travel, while those who
are vaccinated will be allowed to present a test taken within three days of
travel.
Children under 18 will not be required to be fully
vaccinated, given the inconsistency in the global roll-out of shots for their
age cohort, but those aged 2 and over will be subjected to the same COVID-19
testing policy as their parent or guardian.
The Biden administration has been working with airlines, who
will be required to enforce the new procedures, to explain the new policies so
they can prepare for implementation. Airlines will be mandated to verify
vaccine records and match them against identify information. They will also
need to make certain that the shots given are on the Food and Drug
Administration or World Health Organization's approved list.
Mixing-and-matching of approved shots will be permitted.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's quarantine
officers will spot-check passengers after arrival in the U.S. for compliance,
according to an administration official. Airlines that don't enforce the
requirements could be subject to penalties of up to nearly $35,000 per
violation.
The administration announced limited exceptions to the
vaccination requirement, including children, those who participated in COVID-19
clinical trials, who have medical reasons for not getting vaccinated, or are
from a country where shots are not widely available. Unvaccinated residents of
countries with vaccination rates below 10% of adults may be admitted to the
U.S. with a government letter authorizing travel for pressing, non-tourism
purposes, the administration said.
CDC is also requiring airlines to collect contact
information for international air travelers regardless of vaccination status to
facilitate contact tracing. -AP
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