REMINDER. New US travel policy as of 8 November
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced a new order for all air passengers travelling to the United States, effective 8 November:
- Foreign travellers will be required to be on a full vaccination and provide documentation of vaccination status before boarding the plane.
- Exceptions to this policy will be extremely limited:
Children under 18 years of age
Persons who, by medical prescription, are unable to receive the vaccination
Emergency travellers who do not have access to the vaccine. - Foreign travellers who have been to one of the 33 restricted countries will not be required to obtain national interest exemptions (NIE) for travel.
- Accepted vaccines will include those approved or licensed by the FDA, as well as vaccines with a World Health Organization (WHO) emergency use list (EUL). Currently, this list includes Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson; but also vaccines such as AstraZeneca, which have WHO EULs.
- Fully vaccinated air travelers will continue to be required to show documentation of a pre-departure negative viral test from a sample taken within three days of travel to the United States before boarding. That includes all travelers – U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), and foreign nationals.
- To further strengthen protections, unvaccinated travelers – whether U.S. citizens, LPRs, or the small number of excepted unvaccinated foreign nationals – will now need to show documentation of a negative viral test from a sample taken within one day of travel to the United States.
- The new rules do not require foreign or US visitors entering the country to enter quarantine.
Follow all official instructions. Abide by national and local health and safety measures. Reconfirm all travel arrangements and appointments in advance.