Travel ban update: Restriction became ‘existential threat to Biden’s Europe policy,’ expert says
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The United States will ease travel restrictions for fully vaccinated people visiting from the United Kingdom and the European Union, according to the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator.
The United States will require adult foreign nationals to be fully vaccinated, Jeffrey Zients said on Monday.
“Beginning in early November, foreign nationals flying to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated – fully vaccinated and they must show proof of vaccination prior to boarding a US-bound airplane,” Mr Zients said.
Former president Donald Trump initially limited travel from China before banning countries from the Schengen Zone, as well as the United Kingdom and Ireland. President Joe Biden’s administration had maintained these tight restrictions, which were put in place during the early days of the pandemic.
The European Union had initially said it was safe to travel to the United States but later removed it from the “White List” of destinations, along with five other countries.
Psaki says old travel rules were ‘not equitable,’ ‘confusing'
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday that the United States’ previous travel rules were flawed, and the upcoming policy change is an “important” step.
“The older rules were not equitable in our view, and they were a bit confusing,” Ms Psaki said. “In early November, we’ll be putting in place strict protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from passengers flying internationally into the United States by requiring that adult foreign nationals traveling to the United States be fully vaccinated.”
Ms Psaki added that the decision was “an important one facing many people around the world.”
Transatlantic families celebrate relaxing of travel ban
As the White House confirms it is loosening its ban on travel from the European Union, some intercontinental families are celebrating on social media.
“Got a news notification that the US is lifting the travel ban from the EU and 16 minutes later my mom had booked a flight to come to LA,” one relieved daughter tweeted. “I haven't seen her in two years and she's going to arrive on my birthday (!!!) and I cannot believe I WILL GET TO HUG HER.”
Psaki says new travel policy is unrelated to foreign policy
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has denied that the United States’ loosening of travel restrictions is at all motivated by foreign policy concerns.
When a reporter asked if the timing of the announcement was in any way related to President Biden’s upcoming visit to the United Nations, Ms Psaki flatly said no.
“We’re basing it on science, and when the process concluded, and here we are today,” Ms Psaki said.
How the new policy will work for British visitors
Eighteen months after a presidential proclamation from Donald Trump closed off the US to British visitors, American officials say the travel ban will be lifted from some time in November – for fully vaccinated travellers only.
But how will the new rules work?
Here’s everything you need to know:
Back to the US: how the new policy for British visitors will work
Only travellers who have been fully vaccinated with a recognised vaccine will be welcomed, with a test within three days of the flight
UK ambassador to US: ‘We are grateful the US has recognized the progress the UK has made against Covid-19'
The UK’s ambassador to the US, Dame Karen Pierce has said that the easing of travel restrictions “is great news for families and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic”.
“We are grateful the US has recognized the progress the UK has made against Covid-19, including high vaccination rates and declining cases,” she added.
“This decision means that more Brits can reunite with loved ones in the United States, more British holidaymakers can spend their hard-earned pounds in the American tourism sector, and more business activity can boost both of our economies,” she concluded.
Travel ban went from ‘minor irritant’ to ‘existential threat to Biden’s Europe policy'
The travel ban didn’t receive much attention in the US but has been frustrating to many Europeans, so much so that it was becoming a major problem for the Biden administration, a foreign policy expert has told The Washington Post.
The director of the Centre on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution, Thomas Wright, told the paper: “Over the past few months, the travel ban went from a minor irritant in the transatlantic relationship to an existential threat to Biden’s Europe policy. There was simply no scientific justification for it after European vaccination rates exceeded those of the United States.”
The senior director of the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council, Benjamin Haddad, told The Post: “The issue had been rising among public opinion in Europe, and European leaders were increasingly under pressure to impose reciprocity on Americans.”
Travel ban became untenable as Europe increasingly outpaced US vaccination rate
The US was initially ahead of European Union in terms of vaccinations, but the EU passed the US this summer, and as of last week, around 60 per cent of EU residents were fully vaccinated, compared to 53 per cent of Americans, where vaccine hesitancy has stalled the inoculation rate.
As the EU eased their travel restrictions on Americans in June, many expected the move to be reciprocated, leading to anger and frustration among some diplomats as the announcement didn’t appear.
The EU Commission’s vice president for promoting the European way of life, Margaritis Schinas, tweeted that the change in policy from the Biden administration was “sound and long-awaited”.
“When I met my US counterparts in July in Lisbon, I told them that mobility cannot be reserved for the elite alone,” he said. “People need to travel – not only officials.”
He added that Europe is “the most vaccinated continent in the world”.
CDC to decide which vaccines qualify for entering US
White House Covid-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients has said that the White House will defer to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on what qualifies as being fully vaccinated and which vaccines will qualify for entering the United States.
The AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is widely used in Europe but has not been approved for emergency use in the US.
When asked about vaccine mandates for people travelling within the US, Mr Zients said the Biden administration is “not taking any measures off the table”.
He added that there were no updates to the policies governing the border crossings with Canada and Mexico.
European commissioner says ‘intense negotiations’ brought about change
Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for Internal Market, attributed the United States’ change of travel policy to “intense negotiations.”
“Done!” Mr Breton tweeted triumphantly on Monday. “Today the US announce lifting the travel ban on fully vaccinated Europeans. Intense negotiations have paid off — and the EU Vaccine #TaskForce will keep working with the Biden administration on other important topics such as supply chains.”
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