Sep 15, 2021, 1:47 pm
Last edit by: NewbieRunner
New thread for discussing 1-day test requirements for travellers arriving in the US by air
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/coronavirus-travel/2060730-us-require-air-travelers-provide-negative-test-within-1-day-departure.html
Entry ban from eight southern African countries starting on November 29, 2021
Most non-U.S. citizens who have been in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique or Malaw within the prior 14 days will not be allowed into the United States.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/11/26/a-proclamation-on-suspension-of-entry-as-immigrants-and-nonimmigrants-of-certain-additional-persons-who-pose-a-risk-of-transmitting-coronavirus-disease-2019/
Entry ban by air to be lifted on November 8, 2021 - All travelers should refer to CDC for travel requirements.
3 day pre-flight testing requirement will continue (US citizens/LPR not vaccinated will have to test no earlier than 1 day prior) Children under 2 years old do not need to test.
Children under 18 are exempt from vaccination requirement
Accepted vaccines will include:
There is a face mask mandate when flying to/from the USA, with effectively no exemptions, and including children two and above years old
Airlines need to provide some sort of contact tracing information for potential follow-up cases
Update on U.S. travel policy requiring COVID-19 vaccination
Last Updated: October 25, 2021
As announced by the White House today, the new travel policy requiring foreign nationals traveling to the United States to demonstrate proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 will take effect November 8. The CDC’s website explains that, for purposes of entry into the United States, the accepted vaccines will include FDA approved or authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines.
COVID-19 Travel Restrictions and Exceptions - U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs
Last updated: October 25, 2021
The presidential proclamations described on this page will no longer be in effect on November 8, 2021. For additional information, please see Safely Resuming Travel by Vaccine Requirement and Rescission of Travel Restrictions on Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, the Schengen Area, South Africa, and the United Kingdom (travel.state.gov).
To protect the public health, there are four presidential proclamations that suspend entry into the United States of all noncitizens who were physically present in any of 33 countries during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States. They are Presidential Proclamation 9984 (China); Presidential Proclamation 9992 (Iran); Presidential Proclamation 10143 (Schengen Area, United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, and South Africa); and Presidential Proclamation 10199 (India).
What we know so far is
- Confirmed to start on 8 November
- Children under 18 are exempt from the vaccine restrictions, so the varying international standards on jab ages won't be an issue here.
- Vaccines that are OK will include Pfizer, Moderna, AZ, J&J and the two Chinese vaccines.
- Some exemptions from vaccinations are potentially allowed, notably for US citizens, though my guess is airlines will be expecting to see vaccine certificates
- 3 day pre-flight testing requirement will continue, so this needs to be a documented antigen/Lateral Flow test or PCR.
- 3 days is potentially more than 72 hours, departure on a Friday afternoon means a test on Tuesday morning or thereafter.
- NHS Lateral Flows and PCRs can't be used.
- Children over 2 years old travelling with vaccinated travellers have to be tested on the same basis (3 days).
- 1 day testing for unvaccinated USA legal residents (testing on or the day before departure), including their children.
- All passengers need to sign an attestment to confirm their negative test result and also a statement to confirm full vaccination status.
- Children who are not vaccinated do not need to get vaccinated but do need to get a "viral test" 3 to 5 days after arrival in the USA
- As a result there is a separate attestion question for unvaccinated children to confirm that the viral test is arranged.
- Vaccination certificates must come from an official source. The NHS COVID Pass app and EU DCC are specifically mentioned as acceptable.
- Vaccination is counted as two weeks from dose2, or 2 weeks after the sole dose in the case of J&J.
- Antibody certification is not a replacement for the need for vaccination, at least for non USA residents.
- 14 clear days need to elapse before travel. So if jabbed on 1 October then 15 October is when you are good to go.
- Booster vaccinations are not a factor here, they don't count towards or against the primary dose process.
- There is a face mask mandate when flying to/from the USA, with effectively no exemptions, and including children two and above years old.
- Airlines need to provide some sort of contact tracing information for potential follow-up cases.
- These restrictions do not apply at the land border.
Note that a lot of interpretation onus falls on airlines. For example there is no language requirement for vaccine certificates as far as the CDC is concerned, however you can imagine Air France may be hesitant in accepting a vaccine certificate issued in the Welsh language, to take one example.
CDC link
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2...el-System.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/coronavirus-travel/2060730-us-require-air-travelers-provide-negative-test-within-1-day-departure.html
Entry ban from eight southern African countries starting on November 29, 2021
Most non-U.S. citizens who have been in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique or Malaw within the prior 14 days will not be allowed into the United States.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/11/26/a-proclamation-on-suspension-of-entry-as-immigrants-and-nonimmigrants-of-certain-additional-persons-who-pose-a-risk-of-transmitting-coronavirus-disease-2019/
Entry ban by air to be lifted on November 8, 2021 - All travelers should refer to CDC for travel requirements.
3 day pre-flight testing requirement will continue (US citizens/LPR not vaccinated will have to test no earlier than 1 day prior) Children under 2 years old do not need to test.
Children under 18 are exempt from vaccination requirement
Accepted vaccines will include:
- AstraZeneca
- BIBP/Sinopharm
- Covishield
- Janssen/J&J
- Moderna
- Pfizer-BioNTech
- Sinovac
There is a face mask mandate when flying to/from the USA, with effectively no exemptions, and including children two and above years old
Airlines need to provide some sort of contact tracing information for potential follow-up cases
Update on U.S. travel policy requiring COVID-19 vaccination
Last Updated: October 25, 2021
As announced by the White House today, the new travel policy requiring foreign nationals traveling to the United States to demonstrate proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 will take effect November 8. The CDC’s website explains that, for purposes of entry into the United States, the accepted vaccines will include FDA approved or authorized and WHO Emergency Use Listing vaccines.
COVID-19 Travel Restrictions and Exceptions - U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs
Last updated: October 25, 2021
The presidential proclamations described on this page will no longer be in effect on November 8, 2021. For additional information, please see Safely Resuming Travel by Vaccine Requirement and Rescission of Travel Restrictions on Brazil, China, India, Iran, Ireland, the Schengen Area, South Africa, and the United Kingdom (travel.state.gov).
To protect the public health, there are four presidential proclamations that suspend entry into the United States of all noncitizens who were physically present in any of 33 countries during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States. They are Presidential Proclamation 9984 (China); Presidential Proclamation 9992 (Iran); Presidential Proclamation 10143 (Schengen Area, United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, and South Africa); and Presidential Proclamation 10199 (India).
What we know so far is
- Confirmed to start on 8 November
- Children under 18 are exempt from the vaccine restrictions, so the varying international standards on jab ages won't be an issue here.
- Vaccines that are OK will include Pfizer, Moderna, AZ, J&J and the two Chinese vaccines.
- Some exemptions from vaccinations are potentially allowed, notably for US citizens, though my guess is airlines will be expecting to see vaccine certificates
- 3 day pre-flight testing requirement will continue, so this needs to be a documented antigen/Lateral Flow test or PCR.
- 3 days is potentially more than 72 hours, departure on a Friday afternoon means a test on Tuesday morning or thereafter.
- NHS Lateral Flows and PCRs can't be used.
- Children over 2 years old travelling with vaccinated travellers have to be tested on the same basis (3 days).
- 1 day testing for unvaccinated USA legal residents (testing on or the day before departure), including their children.
- All passengers need to sign an attestment to confirm their negative test result and also a statement to confirm full vaccination status.
- Children who are not vaccinated do not need to get vaccinated but do need to get a "viral test" 3 to 5 days after arrival in the USA
- As a result there is a separate attestion question for unvaccinated children to confirm that the viral test is arranged.
- Vaccination certificates must come from an official source. The NHS COVID Pass app and EU DCC are specifically mentioned as acceptable.
- Vaccination is counted as two weeks from dose2, or 2 weeks after the sole dose in the case of J&J.
- Antibody certification is not a replacement for the need for vaccination, at least for non USA residents.
- 14 clear days need to elapse before travel. So if jabbed on 1 October then 15 October is when you are good to go.
- Booster vaccinations are not a factor here, they don't count towards or against the primary dose process.
- There is a face mask mandate when flying to/from the USA, with effectively no exemptions, and including children two and above years old.
- Airlines need to provide some sort of contact tracing information for potential follow-up cases.
- These restrictions do not apply at the land border.
Note that a lot of interpretation onus falls on airlines. For example there is no language requirement for vaccine certificates as far as the CDC is concerned, however you can imagine Air France may be hesitant in accepting a vaccine certificate issued in the Welsh language, to take one example.
CDC link
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2...el-System.html
US reopened on 8 November 2021 (& subsequent entry restrictions for non-citizens)
Sep 20, 2021, 8:48 am
#2296
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Sussex by the Sea
Programs: BA Silver, for now at least...
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Sep 20, 2021, 8:49 am
#2297
Suspended
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Sep 20, 2021, 8:50 am
#2298
Original Member
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Sep 20, 2021, 8:51 am
#2299
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
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Posts: 11,664
Let's hope that they issue a strict "fully vaccinated, AND tested AND masked" requirement, especially given that the UK continues to have 30k new cases daily for how many months now, and possibly have a weaker AZ vaccine.
I say this mostly as it concerns safety on packed planes, rather than importing anything to the US.
I say this mostly as it concerns safety on packed planes, rather than importing anything to the US.
Sep 20, 2021, 9:00 am
#2300
Join Date: Apr 2021
Location: Malaga Spain, Lake County Florida
Posts: 153
It’s a great day for all of us reading this forum in the hope of some news on lifting the travel restrictions which have been very difficult on most of us.
I’m currently sat in Mexico a third of the way through my 14 days in a third country to get into the US.
I’m one of the unvaccinated and fully intend to remain so and despite the continued pressure to get everyone vaccinated I still expect that any lifting of the travel ban will be for everyone not just the vaccinated, but fully expect to have my nose prodded or have hurdles to jump for the near term at least when things open up.
Anyway, I’m off to celebrate with a Tequila, chin chin to everyone here.
I’m currently sat in Mexico a third of the way through my 14 days in a third country to get into the US.
I’m one of the unvaccinated and fully intend to remain so and despite the continued pressure to get everyone vaccinated I still expect that any lifting of the travel ban will be for everyone not just the vaccinated, but fully expect to have my nose prodded or have hurdles to jump for the near term at least when things open up.
Anyway, I’m off to celebrate with a Tequila, chin chin to everyone here.
Sep 20, 2021, 9:02 am
#2301
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 188
It’s a great day for all of us reading this forum in the hope of some news on lifting the travel restrictions which have been very difficult on most of us.
I’m currently sat in Mexico a third of the way through my 14 days in a third country to get into the US.
I’m one of the unvaccinated and fully intend to remain so and despite the continued pressure to get everyone vaccinated I still expect that any lifting of the travel ban will be for everyone not just the vaccinated, but fully expect to have my nose prodded or have hurdles to jump for the near term at least when things open up.
Anyway, I’m off to celebrate with a Tequila, chin chin to everyone here.
I’m currently sat in Mexico a third of the way through my 14 days in a third country to get into the US.
I’m one of the unvaccinated and fully intend to remain so and despite the continued pressure to get everyone vaccinated I still expect that any lifting of the travel ban will be for everyone not just the vaccinated, but fully expect to have my nose prodded or have hurdles to jump for the near term at least when things open up.
Anyway, I’m off to celebrate with a Tequila, chin chin to everyone here.
Sep 20, 2021, 9:02 am
#2302
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: LCY/DXB/MCY
Programs: BA Silver / SQ Sol PPS / KE & EK Nobody!
Posts: 387
Let's hope that they issue a strict "fully vaccinated, AND tested AND masked" requirement, especially given that the UK continues to have 30k new cases daily for how many months now, and possibly have a weaker AZ vaccine.
I say this mostly as it concerns safety on packed planes, rather than importing anything to the US.
I say this mostly as it concerns safety on packed planes, rather than importing anything to the US.
You can fly in from Mexico with an antigen test done outside a nightclub after 1000 beers at early-o'clock (speaking from experience - there are 24/7 pop-up clinics and they gave me the negative piece of paper before the results came back - literally as soon as I'd done the test and paid!)
These measures were never about stopping the import of COVID, let alone variants..!
Sep 20, 2021, 9:02 am
#2303
Senior Moderator, Moderator: Community Buzz and Ambassador: Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, and other partners)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 150km from MAN
Programs: LH SEN** HH Diamond
Posts: 29,512
The White House on Monday said it would revoke its travel ban on visitors from 33 countries, which was implemented to quell the spread of covid-19.
Foreign nationals flying to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus when the policy takes effect in early November, said White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients.
Vaccinated travelers will also have to test negative for the virus within three days of departure, and unvaccinated Americans returning to the United States will be required to test negative within one day of leaving and again after arriving.
Foreign nationals flying to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus when the policy takes effect in early November, said White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients.
Vaccinated travelers will also have to test negative for the virus within three days of departure, and unvaccinated Americans returning to the United States will be required to test negative within one day of leaving and again after arriving.
Sep 20, 2021, 9:04 am
#2304
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: London, UK
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Posts: 680
Will we get an exact start date today? I was about to pull the trigger on a trip to Canada at the end of October but depending on when the US opens I'll either extend that and pop across the border or book a separate trip a few weeks later.
Sep 20, 2021, 9:04 am
#2305
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Join Date: Nov 2010
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Posts: 13,248
Sep 20, 2021, 9:05 am
#2306
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
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Posts: 31,452
I’m one of the unvaccinated and fully intend to remain so and despite the continued pressure to get everyone vaccinated I still expect that any lifting of the travel ban will be for everyone not just the vaccinated, but fully expect to have my nose prodded or have hurdles to jump for the near term at least when things open up.
Sep 20, 2021, 9:06 am
#2307
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: TPA/ABZ
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold. GGL/CCR.
Posts: 13,248
In a similar position. We have flights booked to return home to the USA on 4th November via flights to Canada on 19th October. It would be helpful to have a start date and details rather than a half-arsed announcement from the White House.
Sep 20, 2021, 9:09 am
#2309
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2014
Programs: Top Tier with all 3 alliances
Posts: 11,664
Given the state of the US, will many Americans actually care?! 90% of us are on course to being vaccinated, whilst Alabama has barely pipped 40% and is within your own borders...
You can fly in from Mexico with an antigen test done outside a nightclub after 1000 beers at early-o'clock (speaking from experience - there are 24/7 pop-up clinics and they gave me the negative piece of paper before the results came back - literally as soon as I'd done the test and paid!)
These measures were never about stopping the import of COVID, let alone variants..!
You can fly in from Mexico with an antigen test done outside a nightclub after 1000 beers at early-o'clock (speaking from experience - there are 24/7 pop-up clinics and they gave me the negative piece of paper before the results came back - literally as soon as I'd done the test and paid!)
These measures were never about stopping the import of COVID, let alone variants..!
Sep 20, 2021, 9:11 am
#2310
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 229
In other words, it would be a loosening for Europeans (and others) who have been subject to the US travel ban, but a tightening for those who have been freely able to travel to the US thus far (from anywhere else in the world that is not UK/Ireland/Schengen/China/Brazil/India/South Africa etc.)
It would seem strange if you had to be fully vaccinated to come from Europe, but you could come with any vaccination status from Mexico or Argentina or Vietnam, but then again, policy over the last 18 months has often been anything but logical...!