US Government to Lift Entry Restrictions for Vaccinated Travelers from Canada and Mexico Starting Next Month

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. government is reportedly planning to lift entry restrictions next month for travelers from Canada and Mexico who are fully vaccinated. If implemented, the U.S. land borders will reopen for the first time in 19 months since the COVID-19 outbreak.

On the 12th (local time), foreign media including The New York Times (NYT) cited U.S. government officials reporting that starting early next month, the U.S. government plans to lift entry restrictions for fully vaccinated travelers entering from Canada and Mexico. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government has restricted entry via land borders for non-essential travelers except for trade and essential travel.

According to major foreign media, Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, is scheduled to announce the land border reopening plan on the 13th. Accordingly, from early next month, fully vaccinated foreigners will be allowed to enter the U.S. regardless of their travel purpose. Vaccines exempted from entry restrictions include those approved by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) such as Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen, as well as AstraZeneca (AZ), Sinovac, and Sinopharm vaccines that have received emergency approval from the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to the Associated Press, if the plan is announced, the U.S. land borders will reopen for the first time in 19 months since the COVID-19 outbreak. Fully vaccinated travelers will not be required to undergo separate COVID-19 testing for entry. The exact date for implementing this policy has not yet been decided but will be announced soon.

This announcement is expected to further strengthen the vaccination requirement for entering the U.S. Last month, the U.S. government allowed foreign nationals from 33 countries including China and India to enter the U.S. via air travel, but they must be fully vaccinated. They are also required to submit a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding the plane.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.