The US borders are opening to international travellers on Monday

FILE -- Travelers at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on Dec. 23, 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Millions of travelers are expected to hit the skies and the road this holiday season. They will likely to have questions about the new regulations, which start Nov. 8, 2021. (Nicole Craine/The New York Times)

The United States is opening up to international travellers. Earlier this month the borders opened between the US and Canada while remaining closed for the rest of the world. Thousands of families divided across the borders were anxiously waiting for this day while the borders were closed at the end of March 2020. Now, it seems that things are moving forward regarding accepting newcomers and international travellers.

 

The newest update while things kick off to a new, fresh start is that the main requirement to get on a flight, train or even a ferry and visit the US is to be fully vaccinated. Most flights are at full capacity and delays are expected unfortunately at this time. Those who would like to travel should most probably be prepared for long queues at the passport control. Customs and Border Protection(CBD) have also been short-staffed, facing also a looming future with the general vaccination mandate being a requirement now for all employees.

 

As far as carriers such as Delta and WestJet are concerned, Delta Airlines saw an increasing amount of up to 450% in airfares sales over the past six weeks when it was announced, by the Biden administration, the reopening of the borders, with all the current precautions taken into consideration. That all is happening, while the CDC and the administration are still trying to convince a great majority to vaccinate against Covid.

 

With international travel, being in what seems a remission, it will only be a fraction of what reminds us of the pre-Covid era. Leading up to December, one of the traditionally busiest months of the year according to the aviation analytics company OAG, the number of filled seats will be at 67% of the December 2019 level.

 

Mask mandates are in general still in place in most states Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Washington, DC and Puerto Rico while in New York and San Francisco full vaccination is required for indoor dining at restaurants and bars.

 

The only exception to the rule is for minors under 18, however, it won’t be for long as vaccines are currently being approved for minors up to 5 years of age. It should also be noted that in addition to the full vaccinated status that should be enclosed before boarding a plane, a negative PCR test is also needed.

 

Eleni Kyriakou

Eleni is a journalist and analyst at Parliament Magazine focusing on European News and current affairs. She worked as Press and Communication Office – Greek Embassy in Lisbon and Quattro Books Publications, Canada. She is Multilingual with a good grip of cultures, eye in detail, communicative, effective. She holds Master in degree from York University.