FILE -
In this
Friday
June 15,
2012
file
photo,
Motorists
make
their
way to
Ambassador
Bridge
connecting
Canada
to the
United
States
in
Windsor,
Ontario.
The U.S.
will
reopen
its land
borders
to
nonessential
travel
next
month,
ending a
19-month
freeze
due to
the
COVID-19
pandemic
as the
country
moves to
require
all
international
visitors
to be
vaccinated
against
the
coronavirus.
The new
rules,
to be
announced
Wednesday,
Oct. 13,
2021
will
allow
fully
vaccinated
foreign
nationals
to enter
the U.S.
regardless
of the
reason
for
travel
(Mark
Spowart/The
Canadian
Press
via AP,
File) |
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Driving
in the
tunnel,
between
US and
Canada,
Detroit
Michigan
and
Windsor
Ontario
(ShutterStock
image) |
|
US to
reopen
land
borders
in
November
for
fully
vaccinated
By ZEKE
MILLER
apnews.com
WASHINGTON
- The
U.S.
will
reopen
its land
borders
to
nonessential
travel
next
month,
ending a
19-month
freeze
due to
the
COVID-19
pandemic
as the
country
moves to
require
all
international
visitors
to be
vaccinated
against
the
coronavirus.
Vehicle,
rail and
ferry
travel
between
the U.S.
and
Canada
and
Mexico
has been
largely
restricted
to
essential
travel,
such as
trade,
since
the
earliest
days of
the
pandemic.
The new
rules,
to be
announced
Wednesday,
will
allow
fully
vaccinated
foreign
nationals
to enter
the U.S.
regardless
of the
reason
for
travel
starting
in early
November,
when a
similar
easing
of
restrictions
is set
to kick
in for
air
travel
into the
country.
By
mid-January,
even
essential
travelers
seeking
to enter
the
U.S.,
like
truck
drivers,
will
need to
be fully
vaccinated.
Senior
administration
officials
previewed
the new
policy
late
Tuesday
on the
condition
of
anonymity
to speak
ahead of
the
formal
announcement.
Both
Mexico
and
Canada
have
pressed
the U.S.
for
months
to ease
restrictions
on
travel
that
have
separated
families
and
curtailed
leisure
trips
since
the
onset of
the
pandemic.
The
latest
move
follows
last
month’s
announcement
that the
U.S.
will end
country-based
travel
bans for
air
travel,
and
instead
require
vaccination
for
foreign
nationals
seeking
to enter
by
plane.
Both
policies
will
take
effect
in early
November,
the
officials
said.
They did
not
specify
a
particular
date.
The new
rules
only
apply to
legal
entry to
the U.S.
Officials
cautioned
that
those
seeking
to enter
illegally
will
still be
subject
to
expulsion
under
so-called
Title 42
authority,
first
invoked
by
former
President
Donald
Trump,
that has
drawn
criticism
from
immigration
advocates
for
swiftly
removing
migrants
before
they can
seek
asylum.
One of
the
officials
said the
U.S. was
continuing
the
policy
because
cramped
conditions
in
border
patrol
facilities
pose a
COVID-19
threat.
According
to the
officials,
travelers
entering
the U.S.
by
vehicle,
rail and
ferry
will be
asked
about
their
vaccination
status
as part
of the
standard
U.S.
Customs
and
Border
Protection
admissions
process.
At
officers’
discretion,
travelers
will
have
their
proof of
vaccination
verified
in a
secondary
screening
process.
Unlike
air
travel,
for
which
proof of
a
negative
COVID-19
test is
required
before
boarding
a flight
to enter
the
U.S., no
testing
will be
required
to enter
the U.S.
by land
or sea,
provided
the
travelers
meet the
vaccination
requirement.
According
to the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention,
the U.S.
will
accept
travelers
who have
been
fully
vaccinated
with any
of the
vaccines
approved
for
emergency
use by
the
World
Health
Organization,
not just
those in
use in
the U.S.
That
means
that the
AstraZeneca
vaccine,
widely
used in
Canada,
will be
accepted.
Officials
said the
CDC was
still
working
to
formalize
procedures
for
admitting
those
who
received
doses of
two
different
vaccines,
as was
fairly
common
in
Canada.
The
delay in
the
vaccination
requirement
for
essential
cross-border
travel
is meant
to
provide
truck
drivers
and
others
with
additional
time to
get a
shot and
minimize
potential
economic
disruption
from the
vaccination
mandate,
officials
said.
All
told,
the new
procedures
move
toward a
policy
based on
the risk
profiles
of
individuals,
rather
than
less
targeted
country-based
bans.
The
vaccination
requirement
for
foreign
nationals
comes as
the
White
House
has
moved to
impose
sweeping
vaccination-or-testing
requirements
affecting
as many
as 100
million
people
in the
U.S. in
an
effort
to
encourage
holdouts
to get
shots.
On
Tuesday,
the U.S.
Department
of Labor
completed
the
initial
draft of
an
emergency
regulation
that
will
require
employers
of 100
workers
or more
to
demand
their
employees
be
vaccinated
against
COVID-19
or
tested
weekly.
The
Office
of
Management
and
Budget
is now
reviewing
the
order
before
its
implementation.
Mexico
has not
put in
place
any
COVID-19
entry
procedures
for
travelers.
Canada
allows
entry of
fully-vaccinated
individuals
with
proof of
vaccination
against
COVID-19
as well
as proof
of a
negative
test
conducted
within
72 hours
of entry
to the
country.
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