U.S. Announces Reopening of Border to Vaccinated Travelers
The Biden administration announced that it would lift travel restrictions on vaccinated travelers entering the United States from the U.S./Mexico and U.S./Canada border. This news follows 19 months of border shutdowns enacted in the wake of the COVID-19 virus, also known as the coronavirus. The Biden administration has not yet announced when these changes will be implemented, but experts say that it is likely to come within a relatively short time.
Those traveling across the border must provide proof of vaccination, and provide a purpose of visiting families, friends, or shopping arrangements to the U.S. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers will question travelers about their vaccination status and will ultimately make the decision as to who will be allowed to enter the U.S.
Reopening the border to travelers will help usher in new economic gains in the tourism and travel industries, which have been significantly impacted by the last 19 months of restrictions. These restrictions were only applied to travelers deemed as “nonessential,” meaning that those who were traveling to visit family, or those who wanted to shop were previously unable to cross the border into the United States.
White House officials have additionally stated that this news was also inspired by the reopening of travel for those flying to the United States internationally. Those who fly to the U.S. will need to provide proof of vaccination as well as a negative COVID-19 test to enter, while those entering through the U.S./Canada and U.S./Mexico borders will not need to provide a negative test in order to cross.
This news presents complications for unvaccinated travelers, who will continue to face restrictions preventing them from crossing the border into the United States.
We are closely monitoring this news and will provide updates as they become available. If you have any questions or concerns about crossing the border, or making any travel plans to the United States, do not hesitate to reach out to your D’Alessio Law Group professional, or schedule a consultation to discuss more with our team.
