The U.S. will ease travel restrictions for international visitors who are vaccinated against Covid-19 in November, including those from the U.K. and EU, the White House said Monday. Non-citizens visiting the United States will have to show proof of vaccination and a negative Covid test taken within three days of departure, said Jeff Zients, who is leading the nation’s Covid response efforts for the White House.
The changes will take effect in early November, which the airline industry expects will spur holiday bookings.“They must show proof of vaccination prior to boarding a U.S.-bound airplane,” Zients said during a press briefing. Airlines and other travel-industry groups have clamored for the U.S. to lift the restrictions for months. The Trump administration had first issued the rules, which now apply to more than 30 countries, in March 2020.
President Joe Biden upheld those rules in January, shortly after taking office. The Biden administration is also tightening rules for unvaccinated U.S. citizens returning home. They will need to test one day before departure and test again after returning. European and British officials have eased entry rules to make it easier for U.S. travelers to visit since vaccines became widely available this spring but the U.S. hadn’t reciprocated.
Allowing more international travelers into the U.S. would have wide-ranging impacts. A ban on much of non-U.S. citizen travel has had wide-reaching impacts on industries including airlines, retail, and restaurants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will also require airlines to collect and provide passenger information to aid contract tracing.
“In the coming weeks, CDC will be issuing a contact tracing order requiring airlines to collect current information for each U.S.-bound traveler, including their phone number and email address,” Zients said.
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines shares rose after the White House announced an end to the travel bans, escaping a broader market sell-off. Those carriers have the most international service of U.S. airlines and will benefit the most from the change in policy.
“We applaud the Biden Administration for establishing a path to re-opening international travel to the U.S.,” Delta said in a statement. The Atlanta-based airline said it is “optimistic this important decision will allow for the continued economic recovery both in the U.S. and abroad and the reunification of families who have been separated for more than 18 months.” In June, the U.S., U.K., EU, Mexico, and Canada announced they would form a group to study how to safely reopen international travel.
Analyst View
The consideration to open up the US to other countries is a positive development for the Aviation and Tourism industries, this reciprocates similar decisions taken by the UK and some other Euro countries recently. It is a clear indication that the vaccines to mitigate the severe impact of the pandemic is going around and very fast to nations of the world. However, measures of caution have to be sustained to prevent a relapse of the pandemic high infection situation in 2020.
SOURCE: CNBC
