10/28/2021

White House to End COVID Travel Ban

The ban will end Nov. 8, 2021

This week, the White House confirmed that, starting Nov. 8, international visitors from 33 countries that had been barred from entering the U.S. because of the pandemic will be able to enter if they are fully vaccinated and show proof of negative COVID-19 test results.

Airlines will be responsible for verification of travelers’ vaccination status. These requirements, according to the White House, include matching the name and birth date of the traveler to the vaccination record; confirming the record was issued by an official source in the country where the vaccine was administered; and reviewing the record to determine if the traveler meets the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) definition for fully vaccinated.

As a further safeguard, unvaccinated U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents traveling back to the U.S. will now need to provide a negative test taken within one day of departure. All fully vaccinated U.S. citizens or lawful residents should be prepared to present documentation of their vaccination status alongside a negative test result within three days of travel.

Children under 18 are exempted from the vaccination requirement for foreign national travelers, given both the ineligibility of some younger children for vaccination as well as the global variability in access to vaccination for older children who are eligible to be vaccinated. Children between the ages of 2 and 17 are required to take a pre-departure test.

“With science and public health as our guide, the United States has developed a new internaitonl air travel system that both enhances the safety of Americans here at home and enhances the safety of international air travel,” the White House said. “The additional detail released [Oct. 25] provides airlines and international air travelers with time to prepare for this new policy ahead of the November 8 implementation date.”

This article was provided to OSAP by ASAE's Power of A and Inroads.