The long-awaited decision to ease restrictions on entry into the USA will now come into effect on 8 November. According to the latest White House press release, travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be able to fly directly to the US upon presentation of proof of vaccination and a negative test no more than 3 days old.
The new entry requirements also include the opening of the border with Canada and Mexico.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA announced on 14 October under which conditions the status “fully vaccinated” applies. On the one hand, the vaccination dose recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the World Health Organization (WHO) must have been administered. Secondly, the FDA and WHO define the officially approved vaccines. These include: Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca/Covishield, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
For the unvaccinated, the existing arrangements will continue. Apart from presenting a negative Corona test, which must not be older than 1 day, unvaccinated persons must additionally prove that they have registered for a viral test to be taken after arrival in the USA. Exemptions are to apply for children and for persons travelling for important humanitarian reasons, as well as for those who do not have the opportunity to be vaccinated.
The mask requirement in airports and during flight remains in place. Airlines will continue to be obliged to collect passengers’ contact details for the purpose of contact tracing.
As a result of the decision, the share prices of American Airlines hotel company Marriott International and Carnival Corp have already recorded a slight increase. This indicates a resurgence in the travel industry, the small and medium-sized companies. Likewise, the decision favours the reunion of families and friends who had to stay away from their loved ones due to the entry ban in place since 02 March 2020.
Please note that the entry ban in place since 02 March 2020 for persons who have stayed in Germany or another country of the Schengen area within a period of 14 days prior to intended entry into the USA will remain in force until 08 November 2021. The restrictions regarding the issuance of an NIE (National Interest Exceptions) will remain in effect until then.
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