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US reopened on 8 November 2021 (& subsequent entry restrictions for non-citizens)

Old Sep 15, 2021, 1:47 pm
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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:
  • AstraZeneca
  • BIBP/Sinopharm
  • Covishield
  • Janssen/J&J
  • Moderna
  • Pfizer-BioNTech
  • Sinovac
Vaccination certificates must come from an official source
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


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US reopened on 8 November 2021 (& subsequent entry restrictions for non-citizens)

 
Old Dec 1, 2021, 12:13 pm
  #2971  
 
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Originally Posted by 84fiero
Indeed, and the virus won't go away and won't stop mutating...so how does this story end? Plus if history is any guide, the US will keep these more restrictive measures in place long after the supposed basis for them is gone or changed.
mRNA vaccines were developed precisely for this situation. It's (relatively) easy to reconfigure the vaccine for any new virus presentation. So, pretty certain, as we speak there are people working just on that, and in due time (weeks to short months) there will be a vaccine update. This is what is supposed to happen, and likely will.

Everything else is theatrics. That said, as a guide to how the story ends, keep in mind that we have TSA for over 20 years now.
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Old Dec 1, 2021, 12:33 pm
  #2972  
 
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Originally Posted by tr3k
mRNA vaccines were developed precisely for this situation. It's (relatively) easy to reconfigure the vaccine for any new virus presentation. So, pretty certain, as we speak there are people working just on that, and in due time (weeks to short months) there will be a vaccine update. This is what is supposed to happen, and likely will.

Everything else is theatrics. That said, as a guide to how the story ends, keep in mind that we have TSA for over 20 years now.
Yeah I saw a headline that Pfizer states they could have an Omicron shot in like 100 days I believe (probably not counting review and approval, etc. but still), which is great.

Ah yes, the war on shoes, war on water, etc...I'm not sure my kid believes me that we used to just walk into the gate area without ID or BP and just a quick x-ray and WTMD!

First ID of Omicron in the US, to no one's surprise...

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...ornia-rcna6909

The CDC said in a statement that the California and San Francisco Departments of Public Health confirmed the case in a traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22. The person tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday. "The individual, who was fully vaccinated and had mild symptoms that are improving, is self-quarantining and has been since testing positive," the statement read.
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Old Dec 1, 2021, 7:51 pm
  #2973  
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Originally Posted by ISTFlyer
Those free tests are only available for US citizens, residents, etc...
A foreigner solely visiting the US would be unable to take those tests.

In addition, the turnaround times for those tests could be long as 2 or 3 business days which might not meet the criteria of the destination country, if someone is flying from the US to another country as those tests are mostly for those who feel unwell or those who need to take a test because of contact tracing rather than travel purposes.
Something else to consider is that some of the ´free tests’ are free because insurance is required to pay for it. I just started a dummy test booking at CVS and was required to provide my insurance information. Uninsured need to provide SSN, State drivers license , other state ID.
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Old Dec 1, 2021, 8:24 pm
  #2974  
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Originally Posted by TomMM
Something else to consider is that some of the ´free tests’ are free because insurance is required to pay for it. I just started a dummy test booking at CVS and was required to provide my insurance information. Uninsured need to provide SSN, State drivers license , other state ID.
Depends on the state. I'm like 99% sure MA has no such requirement.

I say that because I got tested without having any of the above a week after moving here.
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Old Dec 1, 2021, 8:27 pm
  #2975  
 
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This varies quite considerably by state and locality. The public health system in NYC for instance conducts Covid testing for free for all, without any consideration of immigration status or insurance coverage, and does not even require ID to receive services. There are also public testing sites right outside the two NYC airports.

Originally Posted by ISTFlyer
Those free tests are only available for US citizens, residents, etc...
A foreigner solely visiting the US would be unable to take those tests.
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Old Dec 1, 2021, 8:42 pm
  #2976  
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Originally Posted by Smiley90
Depends on the state. I'm like 99% sure MA has no such requirement.

I say that because I got tested without having any of the above a week after moving here.
The requirement is not state driven.

https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10....3.284998/full/

There are truly free testing sites run by various organizations.
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Old Dec 2, 2021, 1:23 am
  #2977  
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Originally Posted by TomMM
Something else to consider is that some of the ´free tests’ are free because insurance is required to pay for it. I just started a dummy test booking at CVS and was required to provide my insurance information. Uninsured need to provide SSN, State drivers license , other state ID.
Did you try to start a dummy test booking using 000-00-0000? Lots of kids in the US have no state ID and manage to get tested for no cost out of pocket for their families in each and every state in the union.

Many of the testing places that ask for SSN and ID and even health insurance info do so in order to get the insurance companies to pay, but they may still have a way to proceed with the “free testing” even for those without a SSN and state ID.
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Old Dec 2, 2021, 4:17 am
  #2978  
 
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The new travel rules call for proof of a negative COVID test within one day of travel to the U.S. for all passengers, regardless of their vaccination status or nationality.

The plan does not include more aggressive measures like mandating testing for passengers after their arrival in the US.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pres...l_twitter_abcn
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Old Dec 2, 2021, 4:51 am
  #2979  
 
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Originally Posted by SteveWhite88
Do we know when that one-day requirement comes into force?
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Old Dec 2, 2021, 4:53 am
  #2980  
 
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Originally Posted by SpinEcho
Do we know when that one-day requirement comes into force?
A separate article said next week so I’d imagine Monday.
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Old Dec 2, 2021, 6:30 am
  #2981  
 
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Ok seriously when is Abbott going to make more binaxnow tests? They’re like 70 dollars for two on the optumrx store and they all expire in two months.
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Old Dec 2, 2021, 6:55 am
  #2982  
 
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Cheaper than Abbott, and the ones I received direct from the manufacturer don't expire until May 2022. https://ihealthlabs.com/ (these are NOT proctored for use to return to the U.S. unlike the eMed BinaxNOW kits)

Originally Posted by kac2138
Ok seriously when is Abbott going to make more binaxnow tests? They’re like 70 dollars for two on the optumrx store and they all expire in two months.

Last edited by progapanda; Dec 2, 2021 at 7:13 am
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Old Dec 2, 2021, 7:05 am
  #2983  
 
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Originally Posted by progapanda
Cheaper than Abbott, and the ones I received direct from the manufacturer don't expire until May 2022. https://ihealthlabs.com/
Are these acceptable for travel?
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Old Dec 2, 2021, 7:09 am
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No, these aren't proctored, unfortunately. I may have misunderstood the reference if it was specifically pointed at the eMed version of the BinaxNow tests that include video proctoring. Sorry! I'll edit my earlier post.

Originally Posted by tr3k
Are these acceptable for travel?
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Old Dec 2, 2021, 7:25 am
  #2985  
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So long as it's not Sunday I might just squeak this. Knowing my luck I will fail the covid test tomorrow!
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