September 21 2021  |  Industry News

US announces vaccinated travelers can enter

By Wendy Morley

After many months of uncertainty, and approximately 19 months of closed borders, the Biden Administration has made the decision to allow vaccinated travelers to enter the US, beginning in early November. These travelers must have a negative COVID-19 test result prior to travel.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released a statement on this decision. “Today’s announcement is a major step forward. Allowing access to the US for those vaccinated will open travel to the US for many who have been locked out for the past 18 months. This is excellent news for families and loved ones who have suffered through the heartache and loneliness of separation. It’s good for the millions of livelihoods in the US that depend on global tourism. And it will boost the economic recovery by enabling some key business travel markets,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

“This announcement marks a key shift in managing the risks of COVID-19 from blanket considerations at the national level to assessment of individual risk. The next challenge is finding a system to manage the risks for travelers who do not have access to vaccinations. Data points to testing as a solution. But it is also critical that governments accelerate the global rollout of vaccines and agree a global framework for travel where testing resources are focused on unvaccinated travelers. We must get back to a situation where the freedom to travel is available to all,” said Walsh.

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