The United States has decided to reopen its borders to vaccinated travelers after a 20-month entry ban that was enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The entry ban was imposed by former President Donald Trump last year.

The country's borders with Canada and Mexico are likewise going to be reopened. 

Travelers are required to present proof of vaccination. Travelers are also required to show a negative COVID-19 result that was taken within three days prior to the date of departure. Travelers will no longer have to quarantine upon their arrival in the US.

The entry ban was first imposed on travelers from China early last year but was eventually extended to other countries, including those who are part of the European Union. 

The United States remains to be the country with the most COVID-19 cases in the whole world. The country also has the biggest number of COVID-related deaths worldwide. 

US Reopens Borders to Vaccinated Travelers

The US has decided to reopen its borders following a 20-month entry ban that was imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision includes the country's borders with Canada and Mexico.

According to a report by the BBC, travelers who wish to enter the US now that borders have been reopened are required to be fully vaccinated. They must present proof of vaccination as well as a negative COVID-19 result taken within days prior to departure. 

The US will also no longer require travelers to quarantine, per the BBC report. 

Airlines are now bracing for the flood of travelers planning to head to the United States. Per the BBC report, Ed Bastian, the chief executive of Delta, has already warned passengers of long queues.

United Airlines was also mentioned in the report. The airline expects at 50% increase in passengers due to the US reopening its borders.

Related Article: COVID 101: How to Travel When There's Pandemic

20-Month Entry Ban

Former President Donald Trump imposed an entry ban to the US in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19 last year.

According to the BBC report, US borders were first closed to travelers from China in the early part of last year. The travel ban was eventually extended to other countries, including the United Kingdom and countries from the European Union (EU), India, Brazil, and many more. 

The COVID-19 Statistics of the US

As of press time, the United States has a total of 46,358,362 cases of COVID-19, according to the data available on the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Out of the more than 46 million cases, 751,535 people have died. According to CNN's COVID-19 tracker, the US has the most number of COVID-19 cases in the world. The country also has the most number of COVID-related deaths worldwide. 

Per the CDC website, 78.8% of American citizens aged 12 years old and above have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has recently been approved for children ages five to 11 years old. 

Read Also: Pfizer Says Its COVID-19 Pill Reduces Risk of Hospitalization and Death by 89%

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isabella James