Posted on Oct 25, 2021, 8:05 p.m.
Entering the United States, instructions for use. The White House clarified on Monday how passengers from abroad will be accepted into the United States from November 8. Washington announced at the end of September its decision to replace the ban on entry into the territory from certain areas (such as the European Union since March 2020) with an obligation of vaccination for passengers.
Among the novelties, Washington specifies the fate of children, who are not always eligible for the Covid vaccine, depending on the areas of origin. The vaccination obligation will not be imposed on those under 18, says the administration. However, they will have to provide proof of a negative Covid test. This must be done at the latest one day before boarding a flight to the United States if they are traveling alone. However, children traveling with their vaccinated parents will be able to take the test within three days of their departure. Children under the age of two will not have to take a test.
Some exceptions
Some other exceptions to the vaccination obligation will also be granted, for medical contraindication or in case of “humanitarian” emergency for example, but also for travelers from countries with poor access to the vaccine, indicates the administration. . The negative test performed the day before departure will also be requested from unvaccinated Americans or permanent residents (green card).
It is the airlines which will have to check, upon boarding, the passengers’ proof of vaccination. In particular, they should check that the vaccination documents presented correspond to official sources. The vaccines considered acceptable by the United States are those authorized by its regulatory authority, the FDA, as well as those authorized by the World Health Organization.
Passengers must be fully vaccinated, that is, leave for the United States only two weeks after a second dose (or the first in case of a single-dose vaccine). All vaccinated passengers will also have to produce a negative Covid test carried out in the three days preceding the trip, as today.
In the United States, 57.4% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker, compared to 66.6% of people in the European Union. The land borders of Canada and Mexico, closed with the United States since spring 2020, will also be reopened to foreigners. The difficulty will also soon be to manage the situation of the first vaccinated. In Europe, older people can get a third dose, as is already the case in the United States.
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