Biden Easing Airplane Travel Restrictions on Foreigners, Require Proof of Full Vaccination

The Biden administration on Monday confirmed it will direct the Department of Homeland Security to ease travel restrictions on COVID-19 vaccinated foreign visitors.

White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said in a news conference that all foreign visitors need to be vaccinated and present proof of their vaccination before boarding a U.S.-bound airline. Those individuals must also show a negative COVID-19 test no later than 72 hours before flying, he said, adding that there will be no quarantine requirement.

Zients said the new rules, which go into effect in early November, will “protect Americans here at home, and enhance the safety of the international air travel system.”

President Joe Biden’s administration will also tighten testing rules for unvaccinated American citizens, who will need to be tested within a day before returning to the United States, as well as after they arrive home, Zients announced. “This is based on individuals rather than a country based approach, so it’s a stronger system,” he said

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will also mandate airlines to collect contact information from travelers from abroad to perform contact tracing, he also said.