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What you should know
- The airlines are responsible for verifying travelers’ vaccination details and matching them with identity information
- The quarantine officers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will randomly check passengers for compliance upon arrival in the United States
- The CDC also requires airlines to collect contact information for international air travelers regardless of vaccination status to facilitate contact tracing
Two weeks before a new vaccination requirement goes into effect for most overseas travelers to the United States, the Biden government detailed the new COVID-19 international air travel guidelines, including exemptions for children and new federal contact tracing requirements.
Beginning November 8, foreign non-immigrant adults traveling to the United States must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with a few exceptions, and all travelers must be tested for the virus before boarding a plane to the United States, with tightened restrictions on those who are not fully vaccinated.
The new policy comes as the Biden government moves from broader country-based travel restrictions and bans to a so-called “vaccination-based” system that focuses on the individual risk of the traveler. It almost mirrors the White House’s acceptance of vaccination regulations to get more Americans to get vaccinated by piling up the inconvenience for those who go unvaccinated.
According to the policy, those who are not vaccinated must show a negative COVID-19 test within one day of travel, while those who are vaccinated are allowed to show a test done within three days of travel.
Children under the age of 18 do not need to be fully vaccinated as the global adoption of vaccinations is inconsistent for their age cohort, but children 2 and older are subject to the same COVID-19 testing guidelines as their parents or guardians.
The Biden government has been working with airlines that need to enforce the new procedures to explain the new guidelines so they can prepare for implementation. The airlines are tasked with checking the vaccination records and comparing them with identification information. You also need to make sure that the injections given are on the approved list of the Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization. Mixing and matching of approved shots is allowed.
Quarantine officers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will perform spot checks on passengers upon arrival in the United States, an administrative officer said. Airlines that fail to enforce the requirements can face fines of up to nearly $ 35,000 per violation.
The government announced limited immunization exemptions, including children, those who have participated in COVID-19 clinical trials, have medical reasons not to be vaccinated, or are from a country where vaccination is not widespread . Unvaccinated residents of countries with vaccination rates below 10% of adults can be admitted to the U.S. with a government letter authorizing travel for urgent, non-tourist purposes, the government said.
CDC also requires airlines to collect contact information for international air travelers regardless of vaccination status to facilitate contact tracing.
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