US opens border to fully vaccinated international travellers, benefiting airlines

The United States has reopened its borders to fully vaccinated overseas travellers, accepting people who had been barred from entering the country for the last 20 months, which is considered as a relief for the tourism sector and families who have been separated due to prior COVID-19 laws.

According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, foreign flight arrivals at Newark Liberty and John F. Kennedy international airports are likely to increase 11% on Monday compared to a same day in October, with 253 planes planned to arrive, according to Xinhua news agency.

Bookings have increased since the Joe Biden administration said it will eliminate the limitations, according to airline officials. 

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"Shares of United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines were each up more than 1 per cent in morning trading. Those carriers have the most international service of the US airlines and stand to benefit from the resumption of US-bound travel, " reported CNBC.

The ban, which was implemented by former US President Donald Trump in early 2020 and increased by Vice President Joe Biden earlier this year, barred travellers from 33 nations, including the United Kingdom, much of Europe, China, Brazil, and South Africa.

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Visitors can now travel into the US with documentation of complete COVID-19 vaccination.

A paper certificate, a photograph of the document, or a computerised version of the document can all be used to provide documentation.

Travelers under the age of 18 and travellers from countries with limited vaccination availability are excluded. 

Accepted vaccines are those approved or authorised by the Food and Drug Administration and those listed for use by the World Health Organization: Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Sinopharm and Sinovac.

The United States will also require proof of a negative COVID-19 test from within the past three days for all vaccinated travellers. The country has required that since January for all arrivals, including US citizens. If a traveller is not vaccinated, the COVID-19 test must have been taken within one day of departure.

(With inputs from agencies)