U.S. Reopens Borders for Fully Vaccinated Travelers

Travelers from abroad began traveling to the United States on Monday after the country reopened its borders. Most new entrants had to show proof of vaccination and a negative Covid19 test. Government officials have released pre-departure tests for international returnees to the United States, as well as additional information on exemptions for children under the age of 18.

Fully vaccinated American travelers cannot provide evidence of a negative test result more than three days before boarding, but must  be prepared to provide evidence of vaccination with a negative result. The same is true for fully vaccinated international travelers. If  unvaccinated children between the ages of 2 and 17 are traveling with a fully vaccinated adult, they can be tested 3 days before departure. If the unvaccinated child is traveling alone or with an unvaccinated adult, they must be tested within one day of departure. Nucleic acid amplification tests such as PCR tests and antigen tests are approved. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a new ordinance requiring all airlines flying to the United States to search for contact tracking. Airlines, other aircraft operators, and passengers must comply by November 8th.

Passengers are required to provide their name, primary phone number, secondary or emergency number, and email address found on their passport during their stay in the United States. The airline must forward the information to the CDC as necessary so that public health authorities can contact air travelers who may be infected or  exposed to the infected. Senior authorities said the new arrangement was aimed at preventing the introduction, transmission and spread of new variants of Covid 19.