Making amendments to its travel restrictions and requirements for entry, the United States of America will soon mandate vaccination for almost every international traveler to land in the nation, as per the disclosed information by a White House official.
According to the present rules, every visitor needs to produce a negative covid-19 test result taken within 3 days of their departure to the US. This is irrespective of the person’s vaccination status.
The Joe Biden’s administration-undertaken plan is the President’s phased measure to ease travel restrictions for foreigners amid the coronavirus pandemic that locked the US for nearly every other nation’s citizen.
The official who chose to be anonymous said on Wednesday that the proposal is under development and will be reviewed. The administration is looking at reopening America for foreign visitors in a “safe and sustainable manner” after recognizing the importance of international travel, they added. However, vaccine requirements will not be applicable to certain people, the official said.
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Nevertheless, there is no news about the date from when this will come into effect. Interagency working groups are looking at the right time to resume normal travel.
Jen Psaki, a White House spokesperson, told the media on Wednesday that a policy change wasn’t on the cards for the US. “Given where we are today with the Delta variant, we will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point,” she said.
Its existing policies debar travelers who have been to India, China, Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the European Schengen Area and Brazil, in the last 14 days before departure, from coming to the US.
However, the Joe Biden government has been on the receiving end of criticism and pressure to ease certain restrictions from allied countries as the travel blocks have stopped several families from meeting their loved ones.
Eyebrows have also been raised on these rules as many pointed out that the US is having more cases than the countries it has restricted. This is due to the delta variant of coronavirus that has caused fresh bouts of infections across the country, especially amongst those unvaccinated.
The US has fulfilled Biden’s goal of inoculating 70 percent of the population with at least one shot of covid-19 vaccine. Though this was reached a month late than the desired date, it was needed at a time when cases are reaching all-time high records and hospitalizations have become a necessity for several infected.
