US drops Covid vaccination demand for foreign visitors from 12 May

America’s insistence on Covid jabs for international travellers has been in place for 18 months – and is increasingly out of step with the rest of the world

International travellers will no longer need to demonstrate to airlines that they have received Covid jabs from Friday 12 May.

Florida’s theme parks, Manhattan’s restaurants and California’s road trips are now on the summer agenda for British travellers who have not been vaccinated against the virus.

After 18 months in which the US has demanded proof of full vaccination from foreign visitors, the rule will expire at the end of the day on Thursday 11 May – which is when America’s “Covid-19 public health emergency” officially ends.

When Joe Biden took over as president in January 2021, he continued Donald Trump’s ban on visitors from the UK and many other countries for almost a year.

America opened up to British and other visitors in November 2021. For the past 18 months, the authorities have insisted on Covid jabs for international travellers.

The White House claims it has helped “to slow the spread of new variants entering the country and to allow our healthcare system time to effectively manage access to care if faced with an increase in cases and hospitalisations”.

The demand for proof of vaccination is increasingly out of step with the rest of the world.

A White House statement explained: “We are in a different phase of our response to Covid-19 than we were when many of these requirements were put into place.

“Today, we are announcing that the administration will end the Covid-19 vaccine requirements for federal employees, federal contractors, and international air travellers at the end of the day on May 11, the same day that the Covid-19 public health emergency ends.

The statement claimed that the stringent vaccination requirements “helped ensure the safety of workers in critical workforces including those in the healthcare and education sectors, protecting themselves and the populations they serve, and strengthening their ability to provide services without disruptions to operations”.

The White House statement ended: “While vaccination remains one of the most important tools in advancing the health and safety of employees and promoting the efficiency of workplaces, we are now in a different phase of our response when these measures are no longer necessary.”

A spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic, which flies to 12 US destinations, said: “The relaxation of the vaccination requirement for foreign nationals removes barriers for frictionless travel to the USA, our heartland for nearly 40 years. It will give a boost to transatlantic customer demand as a busy summer approaches.”