US to Fully Allow Entry of Vaccinated Foreigners Starting Next Month

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The United States will open its borders next month to all foreigners who have completed COVID-19 vaccination.

On the 13th (local time), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that starting next month, it will allow entry to all foreigners who have completed COVID-19 vaccination, including those entering by land and sea from Mexico and Canada.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said, "We are pleased to take measures to safely and sustainably resume routine travel."

From mid-January next year, foreigners with essential entry purposes, such as cargo truck drivers, will also be required to complete vaccination. Entry of undocumented immigrants will be blocked.

Legal entrants must prove that they have completed vaccination while entering through the usual procedures of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Vaccines approved in the U.S., such as Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen, as well as vaccines not approved in the U.S. but approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), such as AstraZeneca, will be recognized.

The new quarantine regulations are interpreted as a shift in government policy to manage the risk of COVID-19 spread on an individual basis rather than targeting specific countries.

The U.S. had previously announced that instead of blocking all travelers from certain countries entering by air, it would change regulations to require vaccination for those wishing to enter.

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