US says fully vaccinated people from UK, EU, India can travel to US
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Washington: The US is planning to lift COVID travel restrictions imposed on visitors from the UK and other European countries if they are fully vaccinated, ending the 18-month-old travel ban imposed by Donald Trump.
The new developments are reported to have been the result of intense lobbying from Brussels and London. The US ease of travel restrictions will also be extended to Ireland, China, Iran, Brazil, South Africa and India.
The White House Coronavirus response coordinator, Jeff Zients said that international travellers who have proof of them have fully vaccinated can travel into the country from early November. The travellers should show the proof at the airport before boarding a flight and a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of departure, he said.
The current US travel policy says that US citizens, their immediate families, green card holders and those with national interest exemptions (NIE) can only travel into the US if they have been in the UK or EU in the previous two weeks.
There will be some exceptions to the vaccine policy including for children not yet eligible to be vaccinated. The new rules do not yet apply to travellers crossing land borders with Mexico and Canada.
Zients further said that the new international travel system is to keep Americans and international air travel safe.
