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US to require foreign visitors to be vaccinated

A poster advises travellers to wear face masks at Grand Central station in New York on July 29, 2021. Ed JONES / AFP

The United States is considering a plan that would require most international travelers entering the country from all over the world to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

President Joe Biden’s administration is working on the plan for “a consistent and safe international travel policy,” a White House official told Reuters on Wednesday.

Under the plan, foreign nationals traveling to the US need to be fully vaccinated “with limited exceptions.”

“Currently, the interagency working groups are developing a policy and planning process to be prepared for when the time is right to transition to this new system,” the official said.

The new plan would come into effect rationalized when Washington begins to lift restrictions on international travel.

As an initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US had imposed restrictions on international travelers in March 2020.

It is not known when the US will lift restrictions on travel from Mexico, Canada, Europe and other countries.

Under the existing restrictions, travelers who have visited Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the European Union’s Schengen Area, Ireland, or the United Kingdom within two weeks of traveling to the US are barred from entry.

All arriving air travelers also need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test no more than three days old.

Coronavirus cases have been on the rise again across the US, as the Delta variant ravages areas where people did not get vaccinated.

According to a Reuters tally, the country hit a six-month high for new cases of infection with more than 100,000 COVID-19 cases reported on Wednesday.

In the meantime, top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci warned that in the coming weeks, cases could double to 200,000 per day.


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