Is The United States Open for Travelling?

Exactly. Washington has announced it will reopen its borders and welcome tourists back to the country. They will start to reopen this November, and passengers from 33 countries including China, India, Brazil and most countries in Europe will be allowed to enter. And of course, all of these passengers will need to prove that they are vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as make sure they are not contagious.

The reopening of the border door surprised the world public, because last week, the US said that this is not the right time to lift the distance order because the epidemic situation is still complicated. Border closure time, travel restrictions have caused the economic situation of the United States to begin to have a sharp decline. Therefore, the reopening of borders and the economy in the context of strict control of the epidemic situation will help the US recover its economy soon.

The American Government's 'Whitelist' for Travelling

The United States has announced that it will allow entry to fully vaccinated passengers from 26 European Union countries in the Schengen area including:

• France
• German
• Italy
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Greece
• The United Kingdom
• Ireland

And some other countries such as: China, Brazil, India, South African and Iran. 

Due to the escalating epidemic situation in the US, the US has imposed many restrictions on non-American citizens in January 2020. They mostly put in place the laws, but there is no clear announcement on when the ban will expire. On the other hand, the US has not yet given an official start date for the new regulations, except that it will reopen in early November. They are still in discussions to make an official announcement.

>> Read more: Can US Citizens Travel to Europe? Here Is What You Need to Know before Making Travel Plans

Current COVID-19 Situation in the United States

Statistics by New York Times on Google Search

As you know, the United States was once the centre of the COVID-19 epidemic situation. There have been many cases since the beginning of the epidemic, making the epidemic situation here much more complicated. Every day there would be between 70,000 and 130,000 cases in the US. Although now, the number of infections has decreased, the number of infections and deaths is still high, so it is quite dangerous for people to go out.

Statistics by Our World in Data on Google Search

With fairly wide coverage of vaccines, the epidemic situation in the United States has also been less stressful. People can actively register for vaccines to protect themselves against the disease. According to published data, as of November 4th, 67.7% of the US population has received the first vaccine and 58.3% of the population has been fully vaccinated. Widespread coverage of the vaccinated population will help the US gradually control the epidemic situation in a stable manner and create herd immunity for US citizens.

Why Did The US Government Decide to Open Their Borders?

The recent pandemic has severely damaged the US economy. All business, aviation, and commercial activities have been delayed. According to reports of US air service businesses, the number of international tourists has decreased by 43% compared to the time before the epidemic. If the process of closing the border continues for a long time, the United States may face an economic crisis. Therefore, they considered the epidemic situation to figure out how to revive and recover the economy, as well as find a way to live with the epidemic to create a new economic normal.

However, the number of infections and deaths from COVID-19 has shown signs of a strong increase since June when the Delta variant began to spread with a higher frequency. Increased infections were reported among unvaccinated populations. Therefore, we will still need to raise our vigilance against the epidemic and try to follow the epidemic prevention regulations.

What Vaccines Are Approved by the US Government?

Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash

To be accepted into the United States, foreign nationals will need to prepare documents proving they have been vaccinated before departure and will not need an accompanying PCR test. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - or CDC will be the authority to be able to publish information about approved vaccines.

CDC responds to public inquiries that they accept and recognize a fully immunized citizen when they have been vaccinated with one of the vaccines approved by WHO or FDA and authorized for circulation for vaccination in the entire population.

Do Children under the Age of 18 Have to be Vaccinated?

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

Scientists are still learning and researching the issue of vaccinating children. Because they are still concerned that some ingredients in the vaccine will be inappropriate or may harm children's health, the vaccination for children is still pending. So, for children, the authorities are still putting the group on the exception list that does not need proof of vaccination. Of course, they will be able to be tested and ensure the child has stable health and is incapable of transmitting COVID-19.

Airlines have lobbied and asked the White House to review and remove restrictions on children flying in the air. And the good result is that they have started implementing the new plan since August. However, there is no official announcement yet.

>> Check out: Can I Travel To The US From The UK?

What are the Next Actions of the White House on the Issue of Lifting the Entry Ban?

Photo by Steve DiMatteo from Pexels

The representative of the US government spokesman replied that they will develop an application system to track citizens who have a schedule to enter the US so that they can contact and proactively check their health status and see if they have ever been in contact with a patient with COVID-19 or else. While officials commented and asked to proceed with the law, the White House remained hesitant. The White House side will respond this Friday to resolve the issue.

Conclusion

In a time when the epidemic is still complicated and unpredictable, we will still need to be careful and strictly implement regulations on epidemic prevention to prevent the spread of the virus in the community. Please note, if you intend to travel, you will still need to be cautious and take extra measurements. Because actually, countries are still quite hesitant about opening their borders to international visitors, even if they have been fully vaccinated.

Even though we have been vaccinated, we still have the possibility of infection. You should only go abroad in case of urgent work or study that requires you to be present, especially when the new strains of the virus are expected to be more dangerous and contagious. 

Here is the infographic provided by Original-esta.com on the latest news about the US opening its border for international travellers - more information can be found on their website.

Nhi Hoang