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After reopening, the United States remains closed to many people around the world

2021-11-10T04:14:23.558Z


Half of the world's population is not vaccinated and does not meet the US requirement for foreign visitors. Experts say that trips will take years to fully reestablish.


By Tali Arbel and Anne D'Innocenzio -

The Associated Press

The United States says it is inviting the world community to visit the country now that the government has ended a ban on travelers from 33 countries.

But it will remain difficult or nearly impossible for much of the world to enter, and experts say travel will take years to fully reestablish.

For starters,

half of the world's population is not vaccinated and therefore does not meet the United States' requirement

for foreign visitors.

Thus, while many Europeans can now enter, with limited exceptions, people from the poorest countries, where vaccines are scarce, still cannot get through.

For some public health experts, this raises ethical questions about regulation.

Latino families meet again after the reopening of the border between Mexico and the United States.

Nov. 9, 202100: 55

"The concern is not to limit admission based on vaccination," said Nancy Kass, deputy director of public health at the Berman Institute for Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University.

"It is that, systematically,

it is making it impossible for people

, generally from poor countries whose governments have not been able to ensure the supply they need,

from coming to see their loved ones," he

said.

["I can't put into words how happy I am": hugs and emotional tears after the US borders reopened]

Even if you are vaccinated, that may not be enough.

Nonimmigrant adults must have received vaccines authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or have been included in the World Health Organization emergency use list;

otherwise, they are also prohibited from entering the United States.

This excludes anyone who has received the Russian Sputnik V or Chinese CanSino vaccine.

In addition, the months it takes to obtain a visa in some places must be taken into account.

The American Travel Association states that, on average,

there is a six-month delay in appointments to obtain a tourist visa

as many American consulates and embassies have not yet resumed their activities. 

The border reopened but not for this Mexican who can only see her granddaughters by video calls

Nov. 9, 202101: 44

Meanwhile, other countries have their own rules, which complicates travel abroad.

Experts are expecting a surge of travelers at US airports

, which will go a long way toward boosting the industry.

The 28 European countries that were banned from entry by restrictions as of Monday accounted for 37% of foreign visitors in 2019, according to the United States Travel Association.

Travelport, which analyzes airline reservation data, says that, by region,

since mid-2020 the largest number of international visitors to the United States has come from Latin America

, but new travelers who book flights since late September, when the Biden government announced that it would end the restrictions, they are mainly European. 

The reopening of land borders with Canada and Mexico should also help reestablish movement, as they are often the two main sources of international visitors to the United States.

A passenger from the United States waits before boarding a flight at Charles de Gaulle airport, north of Paris, on Monday, November 8, 2021.Christophe Ena / AP

The Travel Association of America predicted in June that

international travel would not return to 2019 levels

of nearly 80 million visitors until 2024.

The number of foreign travelers dropped to 19 million in 2020 and is expected to increase slightly this year, to more than 26 million, in 2022 it will more than double, to about 57 million, but it will still be a long way from its numbers before the pandemic.

The United States is not alone in trying to boost travel as more people get vaccinated.

Some countries such as Australia, India and Thailand have begun to relax their borders.

Europe opened its doors to Americans a few months ago.

[How do the United States' rules for international travel change?]

Others, such as China and Japan, remain closed, making it difficult for their own citizens to exit and enter due to mandatory quarantines.

In 2019, both countries were among the top five sources of visitors to the United States, along with the United Kingdom, South Korea and Brazil, according to US government data.

Sylvia Li, who is from China and lives in the United States, married her partner in a small ceremony in New York a few weeks ago without her family because she did not know when they could come or when she could go to China.

"I was able to convince them that it's really nothing, it's just a party," Li said.

But her mother didn't buy it.

"I think

my mother felt like she was missing something very important,

" she lamented.

Canada reopens its land border after 20 months closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Nov. 9, 202100: 25

Edgar Orozco, who owns two restaurants, both called Chelito's, in El Paso, Texas, was excited Monday about the reopening of the land border with Mexico and hopes that will help fill the streets of downtown El Paso with shoppers and customers at their businesses this holiday season, unlike last year when they were empty.

"Now that nonessential travelers may return, we look forward to good times"

,

commented.

But he has heard of people having visa problems, such as a seller in Mexico who, according to him,

cannot renew his visa until 2023

.

According to the State Department, the wait time to obtain a U.S. visitor's document in Ciudad Juárez, across the border from El Paso, is 676 days, or nearly two years.

[The long lines return to the San Ysidro gate, but the merchants still wait for more customers]

In New York, the largest tourist destination in the country, companies are preparing to receive more international travelers.

The shopping complex, Hudson Yards, is expanding its customer service services to

include a greater variety of foreign languages

City Experiences, a travel company that ships ferries to the Statue of Liberty and elsewhere, is increasing its promotion abroad.

"I believe in God and in the tourist so that everything is reactivated": the illusion of border merchants

Nov. 9, 202101: 25

In the past two weeks, at three Moxy hotels in Manhattan,

75% of new bookings have come from Europe

, mostly from the UK, Spain, France and Germany, said Mitchell Hochberg, president of the hotel operator Lightstone.

Hochberg believes it will take at least until spring for international reserves to return to pre-pandemic levels.

"Traveling can be cumbersome," he said.

"Flights are somewhat limited right now," he added.

[This Monday many foreigners could not travel to the US because their vaccines are not accepted in the country]

Although they may enter the United States today,

concern about

contracting COVID-19 also continues to hold back the plans of many.

Mehek Khera does not want her parents to visit her in Santa Clara, California, although they could, as they are vaccinated in India and have their visas.

But

the risk of getting sick is too high

.

His father suffers from heart disease and they do not have health insurance in the United States.

"We are not comfortable adding another additional risk," Khera said.

"They are not excited about traveling," he said.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2021-11-10

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