The US is considering requiring vaccinations against COVID-19 and contact tracing of international visitors after a revamp of current broad restrictions that bar many foreigners from travelling to the country. It is not clear if the new rules would affect Canadians.
Travellers from this country, of course, are barred at the land border from non-essential travel, but can fly to the US with a negative antigen test. However, in order to board a flight to Canada and avoid quarantine, travellers must be fully vaccinated and produce a negative PCR test result. The concern (and cost) for Canadian travellers under new rules would be a requirement to also take a PCR test to enter the US.
Jeffrey Zients, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, says that because of the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, current travel restrictions will remain in place for now, but only until the administration rolls out a “new system” for regulating international travel – one that will include a prominent role for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We will also be putting in place contact tracing to enable CDC to follow up with inbound international travellers and those around them if someone has potentially been exposed to COVID-19,” Zients said, adding, “and we are exploring vaccination requirements for foreign nationals travelling to the United States.”
Zients made the comments to a panel that advises Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on issues around travel and the US tourism industry.
The US currently bars most non-Americans who have travelled to China, India, the United Kingdom, most of Europe, Brazil, and other countries in the previous 14 days. Airlines and other travel companies have pushed the administration to ease the restrictions, particularly on UK visitors.
Separately, Anthony Fauci, the US government’s top expert on infectious disease, has said he would support a proposal to require vaccination for people on domestic flights.
The airline industry is adamantly opposed to such a requirement, saying it would be difficult to enforce and could lead to long lines at airports. Industry officials say it would be unfair to single out air travellers with a mandate that would not affect people who travel by train, bus, or car.
ASTA
The American Society of Travel Advisors reacted positively to the news, stating, “A plan to restart international travel is long overdue. We urge the Biden Administration to finalize this plan as quickly as possible and to otherwise make safely restarting international travel occur by opening borders an immediate priority.”
ASTA went on to call for “common-sense measures” to be implemented, including developing clear vaccination and testing standards, loosening entry restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers, and aligning standards with the governments of the US’s main outbound markets, including Canada, the EU, and the UK.
“The travel industry as a whole will not recover from COVID until international travel restarts in earnest,” said ASTA. “We urge the Biden Administration in the strongest possible terms to do its part to make that happen.”