Today for the first time since March of 2020, foreigners visiting the United States for nonessential travel will be allowed to cross air and land borders if they prove they are vaccinated against COVID-19 and can demonstrate a recent negative test for the virus.
The United States will recognize full vaccination with any of the vaccines approved for use by the World Health Organization. Negative tests will need to have been procured within 72 hours of a flight or crossing into the United States.
For thousands of Canadians and Mexicans, the lifted ban will allow families to reunite after almost 2 years apart. The American tourism industry is also set to get a boost during the upcoming holiday season; the US Travel Association estimated a loss of nearly $300 billion in foreign spending and 1 million US jobs due to the travel bans.
The new rules apply to citizens of 33 countries, including China, India, and nations in the European Union. Children (under 18 years) are exempt from the vaccination requirements but must show a negative test taken within 1 day of travel.
Fed workers seek vaccine exemptions
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of federal workers have requested exemption on religious grounds from the Biden administration's vaccine mandate, the Washington Post reports.
Federal employees and contractors have until Nov 22 to be fully vaccinated, which means today is the last day to get either a single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or a second dose of an mRNA vaccine, and then allow 2 weeks for immunity to build.
According to federal union officials who spoke to the Washington Post, only around 60 people at the Education Department have requested religious or philosophical exemptions, compared with thousands of employees at the Bureau of Prisons.
In related news, a federal appeals court this weekend temporarily halted the Biden administration's vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers, the Associated Press reports. That requirement is set to go into effect on Jan 4.
The 5th Circuit Court, based in New Orleans, said it was delaying the requirement because of potential "grave statutory and constitutional issues" raised by the plaintiffs.
Officials from the Justice Department said they "will vigorously defend this rule in court."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID Data Tracker shows that 58.4% of Americans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, 67.4% have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 12.4% of fully vaccinated Americans have received a booster.
Other US developments
- The Biden administration sent letters to school superintendents and principals across the United States today, urging them to set up COVID-19 clinics inside their elementary schools, according to ABC News.
- The country reported 21,968 new COVID-19 cases yesterday and 119 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 tracker.
