The US on Nov. 8 plans to reopen its land and air borders to foreign visitors who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, loosening a more than 18-month ban on travel from much of the globe that separated families, hobbled tourism and strained diplomatic ties.
The decision to ease restrictions was “guided by public health, stringent and consistent,” White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz wrote on Twitter on Friday, announcing the policy.
He said the “announcement and date applies to both international air travel and land travel.”
The new policy was quickly hailed by the EU Ambassador to the US Stavros Lambrinidis, who called it “important and very welcome news,” and wrote on Twitter that more details were expected to follow.
In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, US borders were closed after March last year to travelers from large parts of the world, including China, Brazil, India, the UK and the EU. Overland visitors from Mexico and Canada were also banned.
The months of restrictions affecting hundreds of millions of people helped fuel personal and economic suffering brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Airlines for America trade association said its members were “eager to begin safely reuniting ... countless families, friends and colleagues,” adding that the “reopening of borders is essential for our nation’s economic recovery.”
International Air Transport Association director-general Willie Walsh said that “for the millions who have been locked out of the US for up to 18 months, it is great news that the US will welcome fully vaccinated foreign travelers.”
Not all the technical and logistical details of the new policy have been announced, but officials had previously outlined them, saying that vaccinated air passengers would need to be tested for the virus within three days of travel, and airlines would be required to have a contact tracing system.
US health authorities have said all COVID-19 vaccines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the WHO would be accepted for entry by air.
This week, a White House source said the land border opening would happen in two phases.
Initially, vaccines would be required for “non-essential” trips — such as visiting family or tourism — although unvaccinated travelers would be allowed into the country for “essential” trips.
A second phase beginning in early January next year would require all visitors to be fully vaccinated to enter the US by land, no matter the reason for their trip.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS