Howdy! Two weeks ago, we reported that the White House announced the international restart date would be November 8th – and that day is here! Today we have the most up to date details on that restart.
Fully Vaccinated Status Required for Non-Citizens
Starting on November 8, non-citizen, non-immigrant air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to fly to the U.S.
Unvaccinated U.S. Citizens Required to Test Within One Day of Travel
Previously, all travelers were required to produce a negative viral test result within three days of travel to the United States. The new system tightens those requirements, so that unvaccinated U.S. Citizens and permanent residents will need to provide a negative test taken within one day of departure.
Contact Tracing
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is also issuing a Contact Tracing Order that requires all airlines flying into the United States to collect – and promptly turn over to the CDC, when needed – contact information that will allow public health officials to follow up with inbound air travelers who are potentially infected or have been exposed to someone who is infected.
The information collected includes each passenger’s full name, address while in the U.S., primary contact phone number, secondary or emergency contact phone number, and email address, “to the extent this information exists,” within 72 hours before the flight’s departure.
The Order is largely silent on the travel advisor’s responsibility in situations where a ticket is booked by an agency, stating only “An authorized representative (for example…[a] travel agent) may provide the ‘designated information’ and acknowledge the airline’s or operator’s notification on behalf of the passenger…but the information provided must be specific to the individual passenger (e.g., agents may not list contact information for the travel agency or provide one telephone number or email address for an entire group of unrelated persons).”
Proof of Vaccination
For foreign nationals, proof of vaccination will be required – with very limited exceptions – to board the plane. Passengers will need to show their vaccination status, and the airlines will need to:
Match the name and date of birth to confirm the passenger is the same person reflected on the proof of vaccination documentation;
Determine that the record was issued by an official source (e.g., public health agency, government agency) in the country where the vaccine was given;
Review the essential information for determining if the passenger meets CDC’s definition for fully vaccinated such as vaccine product, number of vaccine doses received, date(s) of administration and site (e.g., vaccination clinic, health care facility) of vaccination.
Accepted Vaccines
For purposes of travel to the United States, vaccines accepted will include FDA approved or authorized and World Health Organization emergency use listed (EUL) vaccines. Individuals are considered fully vaccinated ?2 weeks after receipt of the last dose if they have received any single dose of an FDA approved/authorized or WHO EUL approved single-dose series (i.e. Janssen), or any combination of two doses of an FDA approved/authorized or WHO emergency use listed COVID-19 two-dose series.
Requirements for Children
Travelers under 18 are excepted from the vaccination requirement for foreign national travelers. Children between the ages of 2 and 17 are required to take a pre-departure test, however. If traveling with a fully vaccinated adult, an unvaccinated child can test three days prior to departure. If an unvaccinated child is traveling alone or with unvaccinated adults, they will have to test within one day of departure.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about your upcoming international trip with Book Here, Give Here and subsequent return to the US, please reach out to your Travel Gurus.
Namaste!
