The United States on Monday (November 8) reopened its land and air borders to foreign tourists who had been vaccinated against Covid-19, ending the 20-month global travel restrictions that separated families, the tourism industry, and Diplomatic relations are strained.
The ban was implemented by former President Donald Trump in early 2020 and supported by his successor Joe Biden. It was widely criticized and became a symbol of the upheaval caused by the pandemic.
These restrictions are particularly unpopular in the neighboring countries of Canada and Mexico in Europe and the United States.
In order to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the U.S. border will be closed to travelers from most parts of the world after March 2020, including the European Union, the United Kingdom and China, India and Brazil. Overland tourists from Mexico and Canada are also banned.
Restrictive measures that have affected hundreds of millions of people over the past few months have exacerbated the personal and economic suffering caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s too difficult,” 63-year-old Alison Henry told AFP. “I just want to meet my son.”
After 20 months of separation, the British woman plans to fly to New York on Monday to visit her son.
Families on both sides of the Atlantic are eager to reunite with their loved ones.
Although it is possible to travel from the United States to Europe starting in the summer, foreign US residents holding certain visas cannot guarantee re-entry.
In response to the surge in demand, airlines have increased the number of transatlantic flights and plan to use larger aircraft to escape the pandemic crisis.
In the region bordering Mexico, many cities in Texas and California are facing economic difficulties due to trade restrictions against the new coronavirus.
Authorities in Mexico’s border cities warned on Sunday that there would be long lines at border crossings. The reopening also resulted in a shortage of U.S. dollars in the currency exchange center of Ciudad Juarez.
Cesar Alberto Tapia, the local road safety director, said the Ciudad Juárez government implemented a special system to guide traffic, including the installation of portable toilets on three bridges to the United States “Because the estimated waiting time is up to four hours.”
In the northern neighbors of the United States, senior citizens will be able to resume their annual trips to Florida to escape the harsh Canadian winter.
But the cost of PCR testing (up to $250) required for cross-border travel in Canada can be prohibitive.
Ontario resident Ann Patchett told Ottawa citizens that it would cost her and her husband $500 to visit her family in the South.
“Do you want to hug your children? Do you want your grandchildren to sleep in bed?” she asked. “It’s very frustrating.”
New York Congressman Brian Higgins, whose constituency borders the Canadian border, including the American side of Niagara Falls, plans to hold a press conference with the mayors of the two countries on Monday to urge Canada to abandon testing requirements.
Some restrictions still exist
Lifting the travel ban will affect more than 30 countries, but entry into the United States will not be completely unregulated: US authorities plan to closely monitor the vaccination status of travelers, but they will still be required to provide a negative Covid-19 test.
Starting Monday, the United States will require air passengers to be fully vaccinated and tested within three days before travel. Airlines will be required to establish a contact tracking system.
The opening of the land border will be carried out in two stages.
Starting Monday, “non-essential” travel (such as family visits or tourism) will require vaccinations, but unvaccinated travelers will still be allowed to enter the country for “essential” travel, just like the past year and a half.
The second phase, starting in early January, will require all tourists to be vaccinated to enter the United States by land, regardless of the reason for their travel.
The US health authorities stated that all vaccines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization will be airlifted into the country.
Washington has yet to comment on the recent increase in Covid-19 cases in Europe.
The WHO expressed “serious concern” about the increase in the rate of infections in Europe, warning that the current trajectory could mean “another 500,000 deaths from Covid-19” by February.
U.S. surgeon Vivek Mersey stated on ABC on Sunday that he was “cautiously optimistic about where we are” while adding: “We can’t remove our feet from the accelerator until we reach the finish line. “
But in Berlin, 51-year-old Elisabeth Zours is ready to go on the road.
As a lifelong fan of the Rolling Stones, due to Covid-19 restrictions, Zours had to miss a performance of the Rock Super Band in St. Louis in September, and was “frustrated” by the slow reopening of the United States.
Now she intends to make up for the lost time.
“I have tickets for four (US) concerts,” she said.
