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Airlines welcome surprise US move to open its borders and axe onerous restrictions
September 21st 2021
US border restrictions that prevented residents from countries such as India and China from entering the country will be relaxed from early November. Read More » The Biden administration announced yesterday it will allow vaccinated travellers to enter the country provided they had a negative COVID test within 72 hours of departure. The new edict supersedes the contentious 212f restrictions which prevented anyone from entering the US if they had been in 33 specified countries — including the UK, Ireland, Schengen nations, India and China, 4 days before their departure.
The US had been under pressure, particularly from European nations, to lift the restrictions but has yet to reveal which vaccines will be approved for inbound travel.
The US Centers for Disease Control website lists Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson as approved vaccines but British officials expressed confidence on Monday that those vaccinated with AstraZeneca also would be allowed to enter the US under the new ruling.
CoronaVac, the vaccine made by China’s Sinovac and used in various Asian countries, also has been validated by the World Health Organisation for emergency use. International Air Transport Association director-general, Willie Walsh, said: “This announcement marks a key shift in managing the risks of COVID-19 from blanket considerations at the national level to assessment of individual risk. “The next challenge is finding a system to manage the risks for travelers who do not have access to vaccinations. But it is also critical governments accelerate the global rollout of vaccines and agree a global framework for travel where testing resources are focused on unvaccinated travelers.”
