By Ben Kerrigan-
The U.S has announced plans to ease its coronavirus travel restrictions to passengers from the UK, EU and other nations who are fully vaccinated., effectively shutting the door on all those who are not fully vaccinated.
As from November, foreign travellers will be allowed to fly into the US if they are fully vaccinated, and undergo testing and contact tracing. Under the new rules, Americans who are not fully vaccinated will still be able to enter, but will need to be tested before their return to the US, and after they arrive home.
The news will prevent those who opt against vaccination from entering the United States, and cement a two tier system critics of covid passports have long been worried about. It will also intensify protests and cynicsm against a system which appears to be doing all it can to force unvaccinated people to be vaccinated.
The announcement is good news for those already fully vaccinated, or on their way to becoming fully vaccinated , if they had been waiting to travel into the country anytime soon. Those who are bent against vaccination for any reason, will be shut out.
Whilst unvaccinated Americans will be able to travel abroad and return home with just a test, no explanation has been provided for why unvaccinated none Americans cannot be subjected to the same process. The likely reason is to limit the number of foreign people who can increase the spread of Covid in the U.S, therefore limiting outside travel altogether.
White House Covid-19 coordinator Jeff Zients announced the new rules on Monday, saying: “This is based on individuals rather than a country-based approach, so it’s a stronger system.”
“Most importantly, foreign nationals flying to the US will be required to be fully vaccinated,” he said.
Under the new rules, foreign travellers will need to demonstrate proof of vaccination before flying, obtain a negative Covid-19 test result within three days of travelling, and provide their contact information. They will not be required to quarantine.
Officials said there would be some exceptions to the new policy, including for children who are not eligible to be vaccinated.
The policy on the face of it is to prevent the spread of the virus in U.S, which is said to have been the most affected country, but will also be seen as designed to pressure unvaccinated people from abroad to get vaccinated. The policy will shut the door to all anti vaxers, and those who refuse the vaccine.
Airlines and other travel industry groups have called for the U.S. to lift the restrictions for months, which was applied to more than 30 countries. President Joe Biden upheld those rules in January, not long after his inauguration..
However, the announcement is great news for many Irish citizens, where vaccination rates are quite high.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said it is “something that we, along with our EU colleagues, have been advocating for a considerable time”.
“We have alerted the US Administration to the high levels of vaccination within Ireland,” Minister Coveney said.
“With 90% of Irish adults now fully vaccinated, I know this will come as very good news for many in Ireland, the Irish living in the United States, as well as our American friends with links to Ireland and the rest of Europe.”