Last week, Biden made the announcement that all government workers, contractors, and foreign nationals crossing the land border would no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination. The public health emergency due to the coronavirus will terminate at midnight on Thursday, allowing passengers to resume their regular flight schedules. Last month, the President passed a law that officially ended the state of emergency caused by the COVID pandemic.

"As we continue to monitor the evolving state of COVID-19 and the emergence of virus variants, we have the tools to detect and respond to the potential emergence of a variant of high consequence," commented President Joe Biden, while highlighting that in light of the recent advice from public health experts, the initial international aviation travel limitations are no longer necessary.

So, do foreign visitors to the United States still need vaccinations? No, not after this week ends.

There are currently very few exemptions to the need that "non-U.S. citizen, non-U.S. immigrants travelling to the United States by air" provide documentation of immunization prior to entry.

In response to the announcement last week that the United States would no longer need vaccines from overseas tourists, the U.S. Travel Association, which had previously claimed that the law was harmful to tourism, expressed its approval.

President and CEO Geoff Freeman declared:

“Today’s action to lift the vaccine requirement eases a significant entry barrier for many global travellers, moving our industry and country forward”, while urging the federal government to "ensure U.S. airports and other ports of entry are appropriately staffed with Customs and Border Protection officers to meet the growing demand for entry."

U.S. authorities no longer need passengers arriving from China to present documentation of a negative COVID test as of March. With an increase in infection numbers across China, the policy went into force in January. Also, the United States stopped requiring COVID testing of overseas passengers.

Can you enter the United States from Mexico or Canada without being vaccinated?

According to a press statement from the Department of Homeland Security, non-U.S. citizens entering the country via land or ferry ports are no longer need to be completely vaccinated or to present confirmation of vaccination status. But should people from the United States be vaccinated against COVID before going abroad? That is debatable. Although many places no longer demand proof of immunization or other tests from visitors, some do. For example, according to the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, visitors must still present confirmation of a negative COVID test or proof of complete vaccination before entering the country.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that all travellers ensure they are up-to-date on their vaccines against COVID. To be up-to-date translates into receiving either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, for people aged 6 and above.

Source: eu.usatoday.com