By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

NEW restrictions coming into force in November in the United States will require all adult foreign visitors who are travelling by air to show full COVID-19 vaccination status.

The new Biden administration policy says foreign nationals flying into the country must be fully inoculated and show proof of vaccination before boarding a plane. US officials have not said which vaccines will be accepted under the new policy.

Jeff Zients, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, told reporters foreign travellers will also have to obtain a negative COVID-19 test within three days of travelling.

However, those international travellers who are fully vaccinated will not be required to quarantine upon their arrival in the US.

Mr Zients told reporters the move “follows the science,” adding, “requiring passengers to be fully vaccinated, we will protect Americans here at home.”

Citizens of the US who are unvaccinated and returning home will need to show proof of a negative test taken within 24 hours of travel.

As part of the new international air travel system, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also requiring airlines to collect phone numbers and email addresses from inbound international travellers as part of an enhanced contact tracing system.

The CDC will also determine which vaccines will be accepted under the new policy.

The new requirements don’t affect land travel from Canada and Mexico, which is still restricted.

The move from the Biden administration comes a year and half after former President Donald Trump announced the US would be restricting travel for foreign nationals coming from much of Europe, the United Kingdom, China, Brazil and other countries in an effort to combat the spread of the virus.

The restrictions remained when President Biden was elected in January, and the White House said in July it would maintain the restrictions due to the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, which drove a rise in COVID-19 infections and hospitalisations.

The new policy now eases these entry restrictions for foreigners.

Yesterday, the US Embassy in Nassau released a statement about the new vaccine requirement.

“As announced by the White House on September 20, beginning in early November, all adult foreign nationals travelling to the United States by air must demonstrate proof of full vaccination against COVID-19,” the US Embassy said.

“This requirement will end the need, as of early November, for travellers from certain geographic regions to obtain national interest exceptions under the current presidential proclamations in order to travel to the United States.

“Adult foreign nationals will be required to be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination prior to boarding a US-bound international flight.

“Fully vaccinated aircraft passengers departing from any foreign country with a destination in the United States will continue to be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of departure (or written or electronic documentation of recovery from COVID-19 after previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in the form of a positive viral test result and a letter from a licensed healthcare provider or public health official stating that the passenger has been cleared for travel).

“The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) will continue to strongly recommend against air travel by US citizens and legal permanent residents (LPRs) who are not fully vaccinated. “With the new order, unvaccinated US citizens and LPRs who return to the United States will be required to do the following prior to boarding a US-bound flight: provide proof of a negative test result taken within one day prior to their departure; provide proof that they have purchased a viral test to be taken after arrival,” the US Embassy said.

The embassy said it will “look to CDC to guide which vaccines will be accepted, as part of their standard role in determining who is considered fully vaccinated for the purposes of recommended or required international travel protocols.”

The embassy added it will provide further information for visa applicants and US citizen travellers as it becomes available on its website: travel.state.gov.

According to the government’s latest vaccine tracker, 73,901 people are fully vaccinated in the country, including those who have taken the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Officials said 114,33 people have received one dose of the vaccine, excluding J&J.

Official said 3,773 people have taken vaccines abroad.