United States Prepares to Reopen its Borders on November 8

As the United States prepares to fully reopen its borders for the first time since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the White House has established new requirements for foreign visitors to the US.

All travelers must be properly vaccinated against Covid before the US borders reopen on 8th November. Arrivals must additionally present documentation of a negative test performed within 72 hours of their departure.

The Biden administration stated on Monday (25th October) that minors under the age of 18 and those with certain medical conditions will be excluded from the immunization requirements.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has previously stated that the country would accept World Health Organization-recognized vaccines (WHO).

The White House has now clarified that this will apply to vaccinations certified or permitted for emergency use in the United States, including the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson-Janssen vaccines, as well as those designated by the WHO for emergency use. This includes the vaccination developed by Oxford and AstraZeneca.

Airlines will be required to verify that passengers have finished their full vaccine regimen at least two weeks prior to flying, as well as gather passenger information to check that passport information and vaccine passes are the same.

Biden stated, “I have determined that it is in the interests of the United States to move away from the country-by-country restrictions previously applied during the Covid-19 pandemic and to adopt an air travel policy that relies primarily on vaccination to advance the safe resumption of international air travel to the United States.”