White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday the policy was not timed for diplomacy. "If we were going to make things much easier for ourselves, we would have done it prior to June, when the president had his first foreign trip, or earlier this summer. This is when the process concluded," she said. "We're basing it on science."
US COVID-19 infections and deaths have skyrocketed since June as the Delta variant spreads, particularly among the unvaccinated. Nearly 29,000 new US cases were reported on Sunday.
British Airways Chief Executive Sean Doyle said the US announcement "marks a historic moment and one which will provide a huge boost to Global Britain as it emerges from this pandemic".
Shares in US airlines were little changed, while some European carriers gained. British Airways parent IAG SA rose 11.2 per cent, while Air France-KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa AG closed up more than 5 per cent.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the announcement "a fantastic boost for business and trade, and great that family and friends on both sides of the pond can be reunited once again." Germany's US ambassador, Emily Haber, said on Twitter it was "hugely important to promote people-to-people contacts and transatlantic business".
It will have less impact on travel from China, which requires its residents to quarantine for at least two weeks on return home. International flights from China are capped and running at around 2 per cent of 2019 levels, a situation expected to last until the second half of next year.
CDC HAS FINAL WORD ON VACCINES ACCEPTED
Foreign nationals will need to present proof of vaccination before travel and will not be required to quarantine on arrival.
The White House said the final decision on what vaccines would be accepted is up to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC on Monday pointed to its prior guidance when asked what vaccines it will accept.
"The CDC considers someone fully vaccinated with any FDA-authorised or approved vaccines and any vaccines that (the World Health Organization) has authorised," said spokesperson Kristen Nordlund. That list could change pending additions by either agency, she said.
Exceptions include children not yet eligible for shots. Airlines heavily lobbied the White House to lift the restrictions, and it has been working since August on the new plan.
The US Travel Association trade group previously estimated that the US restrictions, if they ran to the end of the year, would cost the American economy US$325 billion.
Zients said last Wednesday that given the rise of the Delta variant, it was not the right time to lift travel restrictions. Asked on Monday what had changed since then, Zients cited rising global vaccinations, adding: "The new system allows us to implement strict protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19."
Zients said the new system would include collecting contact tracing data from passengers travelling into the United States to enable the CDC to contact travellers exposed to COVID-19.
The administration has been considering imposing vaccine requirements for foreign nationals since May, officials said, but the White House only decided on Friday to move forward.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiWGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvdXMtdHJhdmVsLXJlc3RyaWN0aW9ucy1jb3ZpZC0xOS12YWNjaW5hdGVkLTIxOTA0NzHSAQA?oc=5
2021-09-20 20:32:00Z
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