Despite prolonged calls from the travel industry for the government to lift travel regulations that bar most of the world’s population from visiting the U.S., the White House said on Monday that it will not lift any existing restrictions in the short term due to concerns about the COVID-19 Delta variant and the rising number of cases within the U.S.
According to Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the seven-day average of new cases in the U.S. was up 53% week-over-week, as of last Thursday.
Earlier this summer, it seemed that the U.S. was on the brink of relaxing restrictions as COVID-19 cases declined, vaccine rates rose and government officials met to discuss plans for reopening travel corridors. And with the recent reopening of the E.U., as well as Canada’s announcement that it will begin welcoming vaccinated American travelers in August, many likely thought that the U.S. would not be far behind.
Now, however, there is no clear sign of when U.S. borders will reopen. Current restrictions prevent visits from most non-U.S. citizens who have been in the U.K., the 26 Schengen nations in Europe (without internal border controls), Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran and Brazil within the last 14 days. U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico will also remain closed to nonessential travel until at least Aug. 21, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security last week.
“While other nations, like Canada, the U.K. and much of the E.U., have all taken steps to welcome inbound travelers this summer and rebuild jobs and local economies, the United States remains closed to one of the most important segments of the travel economy — the international inbound traveler,” said Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy for the U.S. Travel Association, in a statement responding to the Biden administration’s decision. “Given the high rates of vaccination on both sides of the Atlantic, it is possible to begin safely welcoming back vaccinated visitors from these crucial inbound markets.”
We respectfully urge the Biden administration to revisit its decision in the very near term and begin reopening international travel to vaccinated individuals.
“[COVID-19] variants are of concern, but closed borders have not prevented the Delta variant from entering the U.S., while vaccinations are proving incredibly durable to the virus’ evolution,” the statement continued. “We respectfully urge the Biden administration to revisit its decision in the very near term and begin reopening international travel to vaccinated individuals, starting with air corridors between the U.S. and nations with similar vaccination rates.”
According to Reuters, the Biden administration has declined to offer any details on metrics that would trigger the easing of restrictions.
