US Announced COVID19 Rules for International Travelers

US President Joe Biden signed an order about the COVID19 rules for international travelers. According to the new order, the US will welcome international travelers who completed their COVID19 doses starting November 8. However, children and teenagers under 18 don’t have to be vaccinated.

Visitors older than two years old will need to test negative for COVID19 three days before their trip.  Also, airlines will have to keep passenger information for 30 days for contact tracing purposes.

Vaccinated international travelers will have to show proof of vaccination from an “official source”. Airlines will have to confirm if the traveler completed the vaccine doses at least two weeks before the travel date. Also, airlines that will fail to enforce the requirements could receive penalties up to $35,000 per violation.

Most International Travelers Will Need To Get The Vaccine

The US moved away from country-by-country restrictions, but instead focused on classifying travelers according to the risk they pose.

Biden’s order said that “It is in the interests of the United States to move away from the country-by-country restrictions previously applied during the COVID19 pandemic and to adopt an air travel policy that relies primarily on vaccination to advance the safe resumption of international air travel to the United States”.

With the new travel policy, there are instances when unvaccinated travelers can enter the US. Non-tourist travelers  from 50 countries with low vaccination rates will be eligible for the exemption. The country needs to have a vaccination rate below 10% for this rule to apply.

Individuals with allergic reactions to the vaccine and participants in COVID19 clinical trials can also get an exemption from the vaccination requirement.

No Vaccination Requirement for Domestic Travelers

The Biden administration hasn’t proposed a vaccination requirement for domestic travel. However, a Harris Poll COVID19 tracking survey done in August discovered that 64% of Americans support vaccine passports for air travelers. On the other hand, a Morning Consult survey revealed that 61% of US adults are in favor of vaccine requirement for domestic flights.