', We have vaccines and boosters, exceptionally protective against the bad outcomes were concerned with, We have treatments that keep people out of the hospital when they do catch it (small molecule inhibitors like Paxlovid, monoclonal antibodies), The seven day moving average of confirmed cases is down over 96% from peak and is below 10 per 100,000 nationally. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The only way unvaccinated travelers can visit the U.S. is to meet one of the exceptions. Meegan Zikus, a bioethicist at Grand Valley State University in Michigan who is immunocompromised, said lifting the mandate completely disregards the safety and well-being of people who are at high risk., Lifting Covid testing for international travel entirely negates that there remains a worldwide pandemic, she said. The head of the White Houses COVID-19 Response Team, Jeff Zients, said that all travelers must be fully vaccinated, no exceptions. At that point fewer than 10 percent of Americans were vaccinated and case counts were rising, hitting a record of more than 300,000 new cases on Jan. 8. File photo shows travelers waiting in lines on Feb. 5, 2023, at Beijing Capital International Airport. This spring, several Canadian teams in the National Hockey League flew to cities near the border, then took buses into the U.S. to avoid the risk of losing players who tested positive. If success means keeping new variants out of the country, then it failed, said Dr. William Morice, the chair of lab medicine and pathology at the Mayo Clinic. The decision was met with joy in the travel industry, which for months has been lobbying the administration hard to get rid of the testing rule. If the idea is to minimize the number of Covid cases in this country, the impact of entrance screening is negligible, she said. Savannah Guthrie abruptly left her spot on this mornings Today show after testing positive for Covid around 7:30 a.m. The CDC will order commercial airlines to collect information from U.S.-bound visitors including their phone number and email address to act as a public health surveillance system.. Keir Starmer calls for Covid inquiry to report by end of year 6h ago Stormont lock in NI protocol deal likely to be 'fairly ineffective', says DUP's Sammy Wilson ET.. Sheinelle Jones, co-host of Todays third Although not a specific date was announced, Raimondo mentioned Labor Day, which is celebrated on September 6, as the potential date for free foreign travel. The Biden administration is lifting pre-departure COVID-19 testing requirements for international travelers to the United States, according to a senior White ), In late 2021, the United States pivoted away from country-specific bans and doubled down on testing, shortening the window from within three days of travel to one day, even for vaccinated Americans. The long-awaited reopening to EU tourists may be about to be over. The official said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will do a reassessment of the rule in 90 days and then an ongoing basis. Second one was also positive. "We have made lifesaving vaccines and treatments widely available and these tools are working to prevent serious illness and death, and are effective against the prevalent variants circulating in the U.S. and around the world.". Merely catching something isnt enough to justify intrusive restrictions on travel, it has to be catching something that represents an existential risk to the country. Theres simply no public health justification for the requirement at this [], [] immediate concern is the testing requirement for travel to the U.S. Its time to end that, because theres no public health justification for it. Explanations from authorities include readiness to enter a new phase of the pandemic, high vaccination rates and a determination that new variants are manageable. As we move forward, said the President in a statement, we will continue to be guided by what the science and my medical team advises.. Many other countries have lifted their testing requirements for fully vaccinated and boosted travelers in a bid to increase tourism. Still, once a variant is already widespread in a country, he found, a travel test has little effect. But so far, they havent provided an exact reopening date yet. I support the C.D.C., still wear a N95 mask when in crowds and when I travel, he said. When President Biden took office he layered the testing requirement on top of the travel bans. And if youre going to impose requirements then its incumbent to also articulate the off ramp. Testing can prevent the peak from being reached so quickly, he said. With limited exceptions () all foreign nationals traveling to the United States (from all countries) need to be fully vaccinated, said the official. Unfortunately, on the other side of the Atlantic things seem to be different. This step is possible because of the progress weve made in our fight against COVID-19, said the U.S. Health Secretary Xavier Becerra. 68 Countries Open To Unvaccinated Travelers Best 2023 Picks! He said there are few remaining pandemic policies that cause so much consternation for the travel sector, with Chinas zero-COVID restrictions being another. Hack For Finding Virgin And Delta Award Space [Roundup], Southwest Airlines Has 3 New Promotions To Score Elite Status Faster, Hyatt Changing Award Prices, With U.S. Hotels, All-Inclusives And Luxury Properties Costing More Points. countries can still enforce extra testing or quarantine requirements, but in principle, all vaccinated Americans will be allowed to visit Europe for tourism again. ; Considere hacerse una prueba de deteccin antes de viajar. We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. And there is no narrative for how it even could in the future. Previously, a test taken within three days was required. Kim Sun-ho said South Korea was lifting post-arrival testing as the rate of COVID-19 positive visitors from China fell from 18.4% in the first week of January to 0.6% in the third week of February. White House has confirmed the reopening date for international tourism, current travel curbs will be lifted on November 8. Initially, the Biden administration had required fully vaccinated travelers, including U.S. citizens, to show proof of a negative test within three days of travel and unvaccinated people to show a negative test within one day of travel. ET.. Sheinelle Jones, co-host of Todays third hour, provided an on-air update at the end of the shows 8 a.m. hour, saying, It has been an interesting morning for us.As we said, Savannah left early, she wasnt feeling great, so In the United States, it has resulted in 103,374,329 confirmed cases with 1,119,560 all-time deaths, the most of any country, and the Positive. The Italy Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanch, presented the Strategic Plan for Tourism 2023-2027 to insiders by video conference. Non-residents must also be vaccinated. We write in support of eliminating pre-departure COVID-19 testing for passengers traveling to the United States. They love to use the words deadly spreading the virus and so on. The vaccine requirement applies to adult non-citizen/resident visitors to the U.S., with some exceptions. Our doctors believe tightening testing requirements for pre-departure will help catch more cases, potential cases of people who may be positive and inside the country, a White House official said. Compensation does not impact the placement of cards in content. On August 31, the European Council recommended removing the U.S. from the save travel list. Since then, 11 European countries have taken a stand on the U.S. situation. ; Siga las recomendaciones de los CDC sobre el uso de mascarillas en entornos de viajes y medios de transporte pblicos. Multiple EU countries expected President Joe Bidens announcement about the U.S. border reopening during his visit to the U.K. for the very first G7 summit of his administration. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director may recommend the US to lift the need to wear face coverings in indoor settings, said CDC Head Dr. Rochelle Walensky during a White House briefing. CEOs Of All Major US Airlines To Joe Biden: Lift Mask Mandates & Testing Rules Now - View from the Wing, The White House Spent $2 Billion On Tests, Has No Intention To Stop Requiring Them For Int'l Travel - View from the Wing, Now That Mask Rules Are Over, Can We Stop Taking Off Shoes Too? Nonresident foreign nationals aged 18 and up must be properly vaccinated before flying into Puerto Rico. For more information, see the Centers for Disease Control order. By releasing data weekly, Oklahomans will get a better picture of what is happening throughout the state. The C.D.C. We are at a point where we have the tools to minimize morbidity and mortality associated with the virus Consider: Any advocate for testing travelers entering the United States needs to articulate what benefit the testing provides now, why its enough of a benefit to justify the restriction, and what condition needs to exist to remove the rule. Savannah Guthrie abruptly left her spot on this mornings Today show after testing positive for Covid around 7:30 a.m. Many travelers in the United States and abroad have been waiting for it. Roger Dow, president of the U.S. Travel Association, called lifting the testing rule another huge step forward for the recovery of inbound air travel and the return of international travel to the United States.. We want to give people a break from things like mask wearing when these metrics are better, and then have the ability to reach for them again should things worsen., The CDC will review the number of severe cases and hospital capacity rather before making a final decision.Also read: More US States Lifting Mask Mandates as COVID-19 Drops. Every time I left the hotel, I asked myself, how much risk of not being able to get home am I putting myself in?. Check out our 52 Places for a Changed World for 2022. During the strict regulations, residents were required to undergo mass testing, lockdowns and border controls, and quarantines that sparked public outrage and an economic downturn. Last week, White House spokesman Jen Psaki stated that no changes on current travel restrictions have been planned thus far when asked if the U.S. would allow vaccinated travelers to visit America Again. (Source: Reuters). If a more dangerous variant emerges, he noted, thats a very different situation., Others argue that it doesnt make sense to inconvenience so many people for a system thats full of holes. That means that border crossings that are open 24 hours a day will accept international travelers from midnight, while the rest will open during regular business hours. Hotels, theme parks and other travel businesses also lobbied the administration to drop the rule. Its sad that posters such as DCS and GU Wonder have the inability to comprehend what someone else is saying and keep spitting out the same alarmist dialogue. I've been living as a digital nomad for 8+ years. The proposal would continue to prohibit vaccine and mask requirements in schools, government, employment, or for travel. Health officials stated last week that New York State will no longer mandate masks to be worn in healthcare facilities including hospitals and nursing homes as of last week. Additionally, the bill includes a provision that prohibits medical boards from disciplining doctors who disseminate false information about the virus. Things are expected to worsen as the Christmas holidays approach. The U.S. Travel Association, a trade group, projects that dropping the testing requirement will bring 5.4 million additional international visitors to the United States and $9 billion in additional travel spending through the end of the year. The White House added that it will review the policy when the Biden administration ends the COVID public health emergency planned for May 11. (Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis) Today marks the end of Californias COVID-19 State of Emergency. The initial mandate allowed those who were fully vaccinated to show proof of a negative test within three days of travel, while unvaccinated people had to present a test taken within one day of travel. In December 2021, amid heightened concerns about the Omicron variant, the C.D.C.