A new order by US President Joe Biden will introduce new vaccine requirements for foreign nationals travelling to the United States as restrictions imposed in 2020 are set to expire, US State Department revealed on Monday.
According to the incoming new rules, all non-immigrant and non-citizen air travellers will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of it prior to boarding flights.
Those who are not vaccinated, US citizens included, will be obliged to show proof of a negative coronavirus test taken within one day, while people who have received both shots of the vaccine will have to show a negative test that was taken within three days of departure.
Dr. Mayank Amin draws a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine before giving a booster dose at Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, U.S., August 14, 2021
© REUTERS / Hannah Beier
The White House also said that the new vaccine requirements will not affect children under 18 and people with certain medical issues. But those who are exempt from the requirements will still need to be inoculated if they intend to remain in the US for more than 60 days.
People from countries with nationwide vaccination rates of less than 10% will also be able to receive an exemption from the rules.
The travel restrictions that have barred a majority of non-US citizens from entering the US were put in place by the Trump administration back in 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic started, with the Biden administration then extending them.