Pres. Joe Biden’s Administration Issues Updated Travel Requirements; Proof of Negative COVID Test Needed
Passengers pass through the concourse of Union Station September 3, 2021 in Washington, DC. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Rochelle Walensky said fully vaccinated people should mask up and seriously consider the safety risks of traveling for this Labor Day weekend due to the transmission of Delta variant of COVID-19. She also doesn’t recommend unvaccinated people to travel at all. Alex Wong/Getty Images

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has rolled out updated COVID travel requirements, ordering airlines to check U.S.-bound air travelers' proof of COVID vaccine status, while those unvaccinated will have to present a negative COVID test.

The travel requirements also include travelers to provide contact information to federal officials, according to a CNBC News report.

The Biden administration said earlier this month that it intends to lift COVID restrictions prohibiting travelers from more than 30 countries on November 8. The administration noted that it will allow vaccinated travelers.

The new rules will be applied to foreign visitors, including those coming to the United States from countries that were not on the prohibited list.

Biden Administration's Travel Requirements

Children under 18 will not be required to be fully vaccinated due to the delays in making them eligible to receive the vaccine. However, they will still need to take a COVID test unless they are two or younger, according to an Associated Press News report.

Other groups exempted from the vaccination requirement are those people who participated in the COVID clinical trials; those who had severe allergic reactions to the vaccines; and those from a country where vaccines are not widely available.

The U.S. will accept any vaccine approved for regular or emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization, which includes Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, and China's Sinopharm and Sinovac.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quarantine officers will check passengers who arrive in the U.S. for compliance.

A $35,000 per violation will be imposed on airlines that don't enforce those travel requirements.

Transportation Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Monday that the United States is open for business with all the promise and potential America has to offer.

Officials said that there will be testing accommodations for travelers with documented recovery from COVID within the preceding 90 days, according to a USA Today report.

Mexico and Canada Borders

Earlier this month, the U.S. announced that it will reopen its land borders with Mexico and Canada to fully vaccinated travelers from November, according to a BBC News report.

Meanwhile, unvaccinated travelers will still be banned from entering the U.S. from Mexico and Canada by land.

The U.S. has prohibited travel from Mexico and Canada since March 2020.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that they will be taking the steps to open regular travel in a safe and sustainable manner.

DHS noted that the approach will give essential travelers time to get vaccinated.

Canada opened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers from the U.S. on August 9, while Mexico's border has remained open throughout the whole duration of the pandemic.

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said that the reopening will be welcome news to businesses, medical providers, families, and loved ones that were depending on travel on the reopening of the borders.

Essential travelers, such as students, truck drivers, U.S. citizens, and health care workers were not banned from crossing land borders.

However, come January 2022, they will also be required to show proof of their vaccination status.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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