US will lift curbs on vaccinated foreign travellers on November 8

Indians among those to benefit

The White House on Friday announced it will lift travel restrictions for fully vaccinated foreign nationals effective November 8, at land borders and for air travel.

Curbs on non-essential travellers at land borders have been in place since March 2020 to address the Covid-19 pandemic.

The White House announced on September 20 that the United States would lift restrictions on air travelers from 33 countries in early November. It did not disclose the precise date at the time.

Starting November 8, the US will admit fully vaccinated foreign air travelers from the 26 so-called Schengen countries in Europe, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Greece, as well as Britain, Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil. 

Restrictions on non-US citizens were first imposed on air travellers from China in January 2020 by then-President Donald Trump and then extended to dozens of other countries, without any clear metrics for how and when to lift them.

The US had lagged many other countries in lifting such restrictions, and allies welcomed the move. The US restrictions have barred travellers from most of the world, including tens of thousands of foreign nationals with relatives or business links in the US.

The White House on Tuesday announced it would lift restrictions at its land borders and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico for fully vaccinated foreign nationals in early November. They are similar but not identical to requirements announced last month for international air travelers. Unvaccinated visitors will still be barred from entering the United States from Canada or Mexico at land borders.

UK eases rules for inoculated Indian flyers

Fully vaccinated travellers returning to England from countries not on the travel ban red list can take a Covid-19 negative Lateral Flow Test (LFT) instead of the more expensive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test under new rules effective from October 24. Travellers vaccinated in over 100 countries and territories, including India, will also be treated the same as returning fully vaccinated UK residents, the government said. These eligible fully vaccinated passengers arriving in England can take an LFT on or before day two of their arrival from October 24, rather than PCR tests. (PTI)