Washington: The United States announced on Monday it will lift Covid travel bans on all air passengers in November if they are fully vaccinated and undergo testing and contact tracing.
The unprecedented restrictions had kept relatives, friends and business people around the world separated for many months as the pandemic grinds on. Jeffrey Zients, coronavirus response coordinator for President Joe Biden, told reporters the new "consistent approach" would take effect "early November."
The easing of travel restrictions, imposed by Donald Trump 18 months ago as the Covid-19 pandemic first erupted, marks a significant shift by Biden and answers a major demand from European allies at a time of strained diplomatic relations.
Numerous safeguards will remain in place to suppress spread of the virus, which has already killed more than 670,000 Americans and is resurgent after what many had hoped was a lasting dip earlier this year.
"Most importantly, foreign nationals flying to the US will be required to be fully vaccinated," Zients said. It wasn’t immediately clear if the new rule only applied to US-approved vaccines or if other brands, such as those produced in China or Russia would also qualify. Zients said that would be determined by the US Centers for Disease Control.
Restrictions on vehicle movement from Canada and Mexico will remain in place. "We do not have any updates on the land border policies," Zients said. Zients said passengers will need to show they were fully vaccinated before boarding planes to the United States, as well as providing proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within three days.
Americans not fully vaccinated will still be able to enter but only on testing negative within a day of travel. Masks will be obligatory on US-bound flights and airlines will provide the US health authorities with contact tracing information.
"This new international travel system follows the science to keep Americans’ international air travel safe," Zients said. Britain and Germany quickly welcomed the lifting of the near total ban. The German ambassador to the United States called it "great news."
"Hugely important to promote people-to-people contacts and transatlantic business," Ambassador Emily Haber tweeted. The announcement was also hailed by airlines, which have taken a huge hit during the pandemic shutdown.
The trade group Airlines For Europe predicted "a much-needed boost to trans-Atlantic traffic & tourism and will reunite families and friends." And Doug Parker, CEO of American Airlines, said "we welcome the Biden administration’s science-based approach to begin lifting the restrictions."
While it had been widely expected that Biden would reopen borders to the European Union and Britain, the announcement covers the globe. "This applies to all international travel," Zients said.
Currently only US citizens, residents and foreigners with special visas are allowed to enter the United States from most European countries. The restriction has deeply irked EU and British authorities. On Monday, the European Union recommended that member states reimpose restrictions on American travelers who had earlier been free to enter if vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro ate pizza on the sidewalk in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly, likely because he doesn’t meet the city’s Covid-19 vaccine requirements for indoor dining.
The Big Apple currently requires anyone wanting to eat inside to provide proof of at least one shot and Bolsonaro says he is not vaccinated. "Luxury dinner in New York," tweeted Brazil’s secretariat minister Luiz Eduardo Ramos alongside a photo of Bolsonaro enjoying a slice outside with several members of his delegation.
Tourism minister Gilson Machado also posted a photo of Bolsonaro with slice in hand, writing on Instagram that it was pizza and Coca-Cola for dinner. "Bolsonaro likes to play humility... but it is not a question of taste," said Brazilian columnist Reinaldo Azevedo, pointing out New York’s vaccine requirements.
The city began enforcing a vaccine mandate last week, requiring proof of at least one shot for many indoor activities, including dining, entertainment venues and gyms. The local government wrote to the president of the United National General Assembly stressing that the debate hall for this week’s high-level meeting was a convention center, meaning all delegates must be vaccinated.
The UNGA president, Abdulla Shahid, initially backed the requirement but then backtracked, ruling that entry to the UN headquarters for the debate will be run on an "honour system," with no proof of vaccination required.
As is tradition, Brazil’s president is due to give the first speech at the session on Tuesday. Bolsonaro, heavily criticized for his handling of the pandemic, has said that he would be the "last Brazilian" to receive a Covid-19 vaccine, 222 million doses of which have already been administered in his country.
He arrived in New York City on Sunday evening, with Brazilian media reporting that he had to use the back door to enter his hotel to avoid demonstrators shouting "Get out Bolsonaro!" at the main entrance.
In a related development, Pfizer and BioNTech on Monday said trial results showed their coronavirus vaccine was safe and produced a robust immune response in children aged five to 11, adding that they would seek regulatory approval shortly.
The vaccine would be administered at a lower dosage than for people over 12, they said. "In participants five to 11 years of age, the vaccine was safe, well tolerated and showed robust neutralising antibody responses," US giant Pfizer and its German partner said in a joint statement.
They plan to submit their data to regulatory bodies in the European Union, the United States and around the world "as soon as possible". The trial results are the first of their kind for children under 12, with a Moderna trial for six-11 year olds still ongoing.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna jabs are already being administered to adolescents over 12 and adults in countries around the globe. Although children are considered less at risk of severe Covid, there are concerns that the highly contagious Delta variant could lead to more serious cases.