US reopens borders for fully vaccinated travelers after 20 months, ends COVID-19 travel ban

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After a long travel ban that forced several family members apart and stunted tourism in the country, the United States has finally decided to reopen its borders to international travelers from across the globe if they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The international travel ban in the United States lasted a total of 20 months. The travel ban was imposed by the then-US president Donald Trump in view of the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The ban was upheld by the Joe Biden administration and was widely criticized by citizens.

The US borders were shut off for international travelers from March 2020, which garnered a lot of backlash from Europe and US neighbors Canada and Mexico. The travel restrictions imposed in view of the COVID-19 pandemic brought many people living outside of the country personal and financial loss.

Families were forced apart for over 20 months due to the COVID-19 travel ban in the US, which are now planning to reunite with their loved ones. Since the demand for international travel has increased after the travel ban was lifted, airlines have increased the number of transatlantic flights.

Further, airlines have plans to use larger airplanes to recover from the downfall of the travel industry, which was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The end of the travel ban brings good news for Texas and California, which suffered a great loss in tourism. It is also being welcomed by Canadian seniors, who often fly to Florida this time of the year to escape the cold weather.

Though the travel ban in the US has been lifted for international travel, some restrictions remain to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As per the guidelines, foreign travelers need to be fully vaccinated and be tested within three days before travel. Airlines will be required to put in place a contact tracing system.

Those who are traveling for “non-essential” purposes such as visiting family or friends will have to present their COVID-19 vaccine certificate. Unvaccinated travelers will only be allowed if they are traveling for “essential” purposes.

The US administration has said that all vaccines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization would be accepted for entry by air. The vaccines approved by the US are AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Covaxin, Sinopharm, and Sinovac shots.

(With agency inputs)

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