Effective May 12, the US is officially lifting COVID-19 vaccination requirements for foreign air travellers and at the Canada-US border. The day before, May 11, will mark the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency the US imposed back in 2020 as the world was coming to grips with the scale of the pandemic.

Canada ended its own vaccination requirements for foreign visitors last October. The US, however, has continued to require federal workers, contractors, and most international air travellers to show proof of vaccination.

A month ago, US president Joe Biden signed a declaration ending the “national” emergency in the country, causing widespread confusion among travellers, as the “public” emergency and its vaccination requirements for entry remained.

Further, many travellers reported that customs officials (and airlines) had stopped asking for proof.

The US Travel Association cheered the move, with President Geoff Freeman stating, “(The) action to lift the vaccine requirement eases a significant entry barrier for many global travellers, moving our industry and country forward.”

However, he cautioned, “the return of international visitors should be as efficient and secure as possible. The federal government must ensure US airports and other ports of entry are appropriately staffed with Customs and Border Protection officers to meet the growing demand for entry.”

New York Rep. Brian Higgins, a vocal advocate of eased border restrictions, also cheered the news as a victory for families, tourists, and long-suffering border communities.

The White House says deaths from COVID-19 around the world are at their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic, and 95% lower in the US than they were in January 2021.

“We are in a different phase of our response to COVID-19 than we were when many of these requirements were put into place,” the administration said in a statement.

The restrictions will end “at the end of the day on May 11, the same day that the COVID-19 public health emergency ends.”

The White House statement left the restrictions on land borders, known as Title 19, to the Department of Homeland Security, which promptly followed up with a statement of its own.

“Beginning May 12, 2023, DHS will no longer require non-US travellers entering the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination upon request,” it read.

“DHS intends to rescind these Title 19 travel restrictions in alignment with the end of the public health emergency and the termination of the presidential proclamation on air travel.”

President Joe Biden had already made clear when the emergency measures would expire, but Higgins said it was never certain that the changes would extend to the Canada-US land border.

But now that it’s clear they will, it’s time to celebrate, he said.

“For over three years now there have been barriers to cross-border travel. It has kept families apart and impeded economic recovery,” he said in a release. “While long overdue, this last lifting of pandemic restrictions is certainly welcome news and critically important as we seek opportunities to encourage a robust cross-border exchange that delivers shared prosperity.”