The U.S. will begin allowing Covid-19-vaccinated travelers from the European Union (EU), the UK, and several other countries to enter the country on November 8, the White House said on Friday. The announcement of the exact date comes nearly a month after the government’s decision to lift its complete ban by “early November” on fully vaccinated travelers from Europe, China, Brazil, South Africa, India, and Iran. Visitors must also show proof of a negative Covid test within 72 hours of departure to the U.S.
In a statement issued Friday, Airlines for America (A4A) expressed delight at the decision to lift the ban, which the Trump Administration imposed some 19 months ago, around the start of the Covid pandemic.
“We are pleased that the Administration’s new global vaccine and testing framework for international travel will be effective Nov. 8, 2021,” said A4A president Nicolas Calio. “U.S. airlines have been strong advocates for an individual risk-based system to safely ease travel restrictions, and we recognize that the safe reopening of borders is essential for our nation’s economic recovery. The full reopening of international travel is also critical to reviving economies around the globe, reinvigorating communities, and supporting millions of jobs in the U.S. and abroad.”
European governments, in particular, had lobbied hard since the EU, as well as the UK, lifted restrictions on vaccinated U.S. visitors in June. On September 23, however, the EU removed the U.S. from its “safe list” of countries whose residents can travel to the European bloc. That move amounted to a recommendation that member states impose new restrictions in response to rising infection rates in the U.S. of the Delta variant of Covid.