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Beginning November 8, the United States will implement certain requirements for foreign nationals who are not immigrants and who travel by air to that country. Travelers will reportedly need to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of having been vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding a plane to travel to the US, with a few exceptions.
In an information sheet from the State Department they reiterate the regulations on travel, which includes new protocols related to detection tests, this in order to continue strengthening the protections.
As detailed, unvaccinated travelers, whether they are US citizens, legal permanent residents, will now have to undergo a test during the day before the date of departure.
“The United States has developed a new international air travel system that reinforces security for Americans at home and for international air travel,” they noted.
They added that the additional details released give airlines and international air passengers time to prepare for this new policy before the November 8 implementation date.
They reiterate that foreign citizens who have a complete vaccination scheme will also be able to travel through the northern and south-western land borders for non-essential reasons, such as tourism, as of November 8 and in the coming days more details about changes in land border restrictions.
COMPLETE VACCINATION STATUS:
As of November 8, foreign nationals who are not immigrants and who travel by air to the United States must have a complete vaccination and present proof of having been vaccinated before boarding a plane bound for the United States.
ABOUT THE VACCINATION CERTIFICATE:
According to the document, foreign citizens will require proof of vaccination (with a few exceptions) to board the plane.
In addition, passengers must show their proof of vaccination, and airlines must:
• Check that the name and date of birth coincide to confirm that the passenger is the same person that is reflected in the vaccination certificate;
• Determine that the record was issued by an official source (eg, a public health agency or government agency) in the country where the vaccine was administered;
• Review the basic information that determines whether the passenger meets the CDC definition of a fully vaccinated person, such as the type of vaccine, the number of doses of vaccines received, the date of application and the place of vaccination.
Along these lines, they point out that the Biden government will work closely with the airlines to ensure that these new requirements are implemented satisfactorily.
ACCEPTED VACCINES:
According to the document, the CDC has determined that, for the purposes of travel to the United States, accepted vaccines will include those approved or authorized by the FDA and vaccines included in the Emergency Use List (EUL) of the World Health Organization. (WHO).
The FDA has licensed the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. For its part, the WHO also endorses AstraZeneca, Covishield, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
In addition, they explain that people will be considered to have complete vaccination from 2 weeks after the application of the last dose if they have received a single dose of a vaccine approved or authorized by the FDA or approved for EUL by the WHO single-dose series (ie, Janssen), or any combination of two doses of FDA-approved or licensed or WHO-approved EUL double-dose series (ie, mixed regimen) vaccines.
MORE RIGOROUS SCREENING TESTS:
As previously established, all travelers were required to submit a negative viral test performed within three days prior to the date of travel to the United States.
However, as announced in September, the new system sets more stringent requirements, such that unvaccinated US citizens and legal permanent residents will have to provide a negative test performed within the day before their travel date.
This means that all fully vaccinated US citizens and legal permanent residents traveling to the United States must be able to present documentation proving their vaccinated status in addition to a negative test result.
They also mention that, for Americans who can demonstrate that they have a complete vaccination, the same requirement will continue to apply: they must present a negative test carried out within three days prior to the trip.
“All those people who travel to the United States and cannot demonstrate a complete vaccination certificate, will have to present a negative test carried out during the day prior to the departure date,” they emphasize.
REQUIREMENTS FOR MINORS:
The US Government explains that minors under 18 years of age are exempted from the vaccination requirement in the case of travelers who are foreign citizens, given that some young children are not eligible to be vaccinated and due to global variability in access to vaccination for older minors who are eligible for vaccination.
Consequently, they state that minors between the ages of 2 and 17 must take a test before traveling.
“If they are traveling with an adult who has been fully vaccinated, minors who are not vaccinated will be able to undergo a test within three days prior to the date of departure (which coincides with the deadlines for adults with complete vaccination). If an unvaccinated minor travels alone or accompanied by adults who are not vaccinated, they will have to undergo a screening test the day before the date of travel ”, they emphasize.
ABOUT THE EXCEPTIONS
According to the document, a limited set of exceptions to the vaccination requirement for foreign nationals has been established. They include exceptions for those under 18 years of age, certain participants in clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines, people for whom vaccination is contraindicated for medical reasons, those who need to travel for emergency or humanitarian reasons (with a letter issued by the government of the United States confirming the urgent need to travel), those traveling on non-tourist visas from countries with low vaccine availability (as determined by the CDC) and other narrow categories.
They also highlight that those who have obtained an exception, in general must declare that they will comply with the applicable public health requirements, which includes, with very few exceptions, the obligation to be vaccinated in the United States if they plan to stay there more than 60 days.
WHAT IS CONTACT TRACKING?
As the State Department document reads, the CDC has also issued a Contact Trace Order requiring all airlines flying to the United States to maintain prompt access to contact information and promptly provide it to customers. CDC when needed. This will allow public health officials to track incoming travelers who may be infected or have been exposed to an infected person.
They point out that this is a fundamental public health measure that is established to prevent the introduction, transmission and spread of new variants of COVID-19, as well as to incorporate a crucial prevention tool to address other threats to public health.
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