U.S. President Joseph Biden last week issued an order that reopens the border on Nov. 8 to most international travelers, especially those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the BBC and other media outlets.
The original travel ban, imposed last spring by the previous president, Donald Trump, affected dozens of countries, including the United Kingdom, much of Europe, China and India.
The proclamation signed by Mr Biden on Monday says that airlines will be required to check travellers’ vaccination status before they can board departing planes. […]
Airlines must confirm that the proof of vaccination comes from an “official source” and was received at least two weeks prior. Any vaccines approved by US health regulators will be accepted.
Unvaccinated travellers, including Americans, will have to show a negative Covid test taken within one day of departure.
Children under the age of 18 will be exempt from the vaccination requirement but must still provide a negative test taken within three days of travel.
The travel ban initially had a big impact on Route 66 businesses. Many estimate 40% of their revenue comes from international travelers, especially Europe.
However, many Route 66 businesses this summer reported robust revenue from American tourists who were eager to travel again after last year’s COVID-19 lockdowns.
The motivation behind the vaccination rule for international travelers is the Delta variant of COVID-19 created a surge of new cases in the U.S. this summer and fall — the vast majority among unvaccinated people. Vaccinations lessen the infection rate and spread of the virus and vastly reduce the rate of hospitalizations and deaths.
Through Thursday, the disease had killed more than 741,000 people in the U.S. Globally, the pandemic has killed nearly 5 million.
(Image of O’Hare Airport in Chicago, the starting point for many international Route 66 travelers, by Mark Brennan via Flickr)