On Monday, the United States announced opening travel for all vaccinated foreign nationals in early November, including those currently impacted by the U.S. travel ban.
"This vaccination requirement deploys the best tool we have in our arsenal to keep people safe and prevent the spread of the virus," said White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients.
"Vaccines continue to show that they're highly effective, including against the delta variant, and the new system allows us to implement strict protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19," Zients added.
In this sense, travelers will have to show proof of full vaccination prior to boarding U.S.-bound planes. In addition, a COVID test will continue to be required within three days of departure and proof of negative results must be shown.
The new policy adds more strict testing requirements for unvaccinated US travelers, who will need to test within one day of departure and once again after arrival.
Zients affirmed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will release a list of accepted vaccinations before the new policy goes into effect, as well as a contact tracing order that requires airlines to collect information such as phone numbers and email addresses of all U.S.-bound travelers.
"This will enable CDC and state and local public health officials to follow up with inbound travelers and those around them as someone has potentially been exposed to COVID-19 or other pathogens," he noted. "(It) will also strengthen our public health surveillance system against any future public health threats."
Vaccinated Americans are still subject to the CDC's requirement, put in place in January, to test negative for COVID no more than three days before an international flight to the US.
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