The United States has underlined a set of rules for foreign travellers first time after the last year’s Covid outbreak.
President Joe Biden on Monday signed an order imposing new vaccine requirements for most foreign air travellers and lifting severe travel restrictions on China, India and other European countries effective November 8.
The proclamation signed by Biden says that airlines will be required to check travellers’ vaccination status before they can board departing planes.
The new rules also directed the Airlines to confirm the vaccination proof from an official source and it was received at least two weeks prior. Any Covid vaccine approved by US health regulators will be acceptable for travelling.
However, the unvaccinated travellers, including Americans, will have to show a negative Covid test taken within one day of departure.
Children under 18 will be exempt from the vaccination requirement but must still provide a negative Covid test report taken within three days of travel. The exempted candidates need to be vaccinated if they intend to remain in the United States for more than 60 days.
The US first disclosed on September 20 it would remove restrictions in early November for fully vaccinated air travellers from 33 countries.
The Centre for Decease Control (CDC) said there are no religious exemptions for international travellers seeking to avoid Covid-19 requirements.
The travel industry has been asking for US President Joe Biden to lift the ban. President Joe Biden had extended the ban on flights imposed by Donald Trump in January 2021 after came into power. The rule bans most visitors from Brazil, China, South Africa, the UK, the 26 Schengen countries in Europe, Ireland, India and Iran.