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After 20 months: US opens to vaccinated tourists against Corona
Visitors from dozens of countries around the world will be able to travel and visit family members in the U.S., with the opening of air and land borders that closed in March last year - but not without strict restrictions and testing. "It was so hard, 'I just want to see my son.'
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United States
Corona virus
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Monday, 08 November 2021, 09:04 Updated: 09:06
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US reopens today (Monday) the land borders and air foreign visitors immunized fully against the virus source. This end 20 months of restrictions on travel from around the world that separated families, disrupted the tourist industry and caused tensions diplomatically.
Closing the borders to most countries of the world, Former President Donald Trump ordered in early 2020 and extended into the tenure of his successor, Joe Biden, has been widely criticized, particularly in Europe and neighboring United States. loved ones.
"it was so hard," said Allison Henry, 63, told AFP. "I just want to see my son." British civilian planning to fly today to New York to see her son, after 20 months of separation.
Although the United States allowed travel to Europe this summer, foreign residents holding certain visas had no guarantee that they would be able to return.
To cope with the growing demand, airlines have increased the number of their transatlantic flights and plan to use larger aircraft as part of their effort to recover from the crisis.
Airlines are using larger planes to meet demand.
Denver Airport, last year (Photo: Reuters)
The length of the border with Mexico, many cities in the states of Texas and California in the United States have suffered from economic crises due to the restrictions. Authorities in the border cities with Mexico warned yesterday of long queues at the crossings, and their reopening also caused a shortage of dollars in currency exchange centers in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez.
Local government has installed a special system to regulate traffic, including placing mobile toilet cubicles on the three bridges leading to the United States, due to estimated waiting times of up to four hours.
In Canada, senior citizens expect to resume their annual trips far south, to Florida, to escape the bitter winters in Artem. However, the cost of PCR testing required by Canada for anyone crossing the border can reach up to $ 250.
Ontario resident Ann Patchett told the Ottawa Citizen that she and her husband were required to pay $ 500 to travel south for a family visit.
"Do you want to hug your kids? Do you want to put your grandchildren to bed?"
she asked.
"this is very frustrating".
New York Congressman Brian Higgins, whose constituency kisses the Canadian border and includes the American side of Niagara Falls, plans to hold a press conference today with mayors from both states to urge the Canadian government to cancel its testing requirement.
The restrictions hit the border communities hard.
Traffic jams between Mexico and the United States tonight (Photo: Reuters)
Eliminating restrictions borders will affect more than 30 countries, but US authorities plan to closely monitor the immunization status of passengers required to show negative tests three days before the flight. In addition, the airline is committed to establishing a system for locating contacts of passengers.
Land borders, The opening will take place in two phases. starting today, Azeri foreigners who come to visit "not essential" - such as family visits or tourist - have to be vaccinated, although anyone who comes to visit "essential" will be able to enter even if he is not immune, as it was a year and a half last.
In the second stage Starting in January, anyone arriving in the United States by land will be required to be vaccinated in two doses - regardless of the reason for their visit.
Washington has not yet commented on the outbreak of the epidemic in Europe.
The World Health Organization has expressed "grave concern" about the rise in the continent's morbidity rate, and warns that if this trend continues, another half a million more could die in Europe by February.
The head of the public health department in the United States, Wiwok Morty, told the ABC network yesterday that he feels "cautious optimism about where we are", adding: "We can not take our foot off the pedal until we reach the finish line."
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