US opens border, tourism to gain

Special Desk

Stalled tourism may get boost and families staying apart may meet freely as the US reopened its borders on Monday for all those having had their complete covid vaccination.

Thus borders opening for foreign visitors, ends a 20-month entry ban. The ban was imposed when Donald Trump was the president of the US during Covid-19 pandemic.

The ban affected non-US citizens from over 30 countries, separating families and stalling tourism. Now the expectation is the ban once lifted shall not be imposed again.

Airlines are expecting a flood of visitors and the hotels too are gearing as the restrictions are lifted for those who are fully vaccinated. Though travellers will have to follow rules for testing and contact tracing still while on travel.

Travel business owners are happy about the ban being lifted. They are now getting bookings and say this will go up as New Year nears. In an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus, US borders were initially closed to travellers from China in early 2020. The restrictions were then extended to other countries gradually.

The rules barred entry to most non-US citizens who had been in the UK and a number of other European countries, as well as China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil.

Under the new rules, foreign travellers will need to show proof of vaccination before flying, get a negative Covid-19 test result within three days of travelling, and hand over their contact information. The good thing is they need not go for quarantine.

The US land borders with neighbours Canada and Mexico will also reopen for the fully vaccinated. Thousands of migrants have arrived in areas along Mexico’s border with the US, hoping to take advantage of the newly-relaxed rules.

IN US many Indians also stay and work and a large number of them are right now working from hom in India.

The US health authorities have said all vaccines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization would be accepted for entry by air. Children below 18 years of age exempted from vaccination criteria.

Travellers should be prepared to attest to their vaccination status and reason for travel. They should also be prepared to show proof of being fully vaccinated if requested by a CBP officer.

Also, local restrictions in some cities apply. There are mask mandates in Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Washington, DC and Puerto Rico also require masks in indoor public spaces.

In some cities, including New York and San Francisco, there are vaccine requirements for indoor public spaces including restaurants.