As of: 10/13/2021 8:31 a.m.
The USA not only wants to reopen the air, but also the national borders with Mexico and Canada. A complete corona vaccination is required. It means the end of a 19-month suspension.
The USA also wants to reopen its national borders with Canada and Mexico to travelers shortly. One of the prerequisites will be a proven vaccination against the corona virus, as a high-ranking White House employee announced.
At the end of September, the US government had already announced the lifting of entry restrictions for vaccinated EU citizens and Britons by air. The exact date for the entry into force of the regime for both land and air travel would be announced “very soon”. Both would be done on the same schedule.
Border opening in two steps
According to the employee, the opening of the national borders should take place in two steps. In November, the border crossings would also be opened for “non-essential” travel in a first phase, if vaccination protection was proven. Entry in “essential” cases is still possible without vaccination.
From the beginning of January, proof of vaccination will be mandatory for all entries. All vaccines approved and recommended by the US FDA and the World Health Organization would be accepted, said the US representative.
Entry bans caused criticism
The entry bans that have been in place for a year and a half have recently been increasingly controversial in the USA. Cross-border traffic with Canada and Mexico by car, rail and ferry was severely restricted. Exceptions were made for trade. The then President Donald Trump had imposed the restrictions in March 2020 because of the pandemic.
After taking office in January, Trump’s successor Joe Biden initially stuck to the entry bans, even when many EU states reopened their borders to US citizens. This caused increasing criticism in Europe and also in the USA.
Vaccination is also compulsory for Boeing employees
Another decree is also causing criticism in the USA: the compulsory vaccination for certain employees. Now, as part of the order issued by President Biden, the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing is also introducing mandatory vaccination.
“By December 8, the approximately 125,000 US employees must either present a vaccination certificate or take recognized, reasonable protective measures as a result of a disability or sincere religious beliefs,” said Boeing. The US airlines American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Alaska Airlines as well as the aircraft parts manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems also declare that they will adhere to the deadline prescribed by Biden.