US opens border to fully vaccinated int'l travellers
Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 Nov, 2021 11:50 AM
New York, Nov 9 (IANS) The US has opened it doors to fully vaccinated international travellers, welcoming the visitors who have been shut out of the country for about 20 months, which is seen as a relief for the tourism industry and for families separated by previous Covid-19 rules.
International flight arrivals are expected to rise 11 per cent on Monday over a similar day in October at Newark Liberty and John F. Kennedy international airports, with 253 flights scheduled to arrive, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Xinhua news agency reported.
Airline executives have said bookings have surged since the Joe Biden administration said it would lift the restrictions. "Shares of United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines were each up more than 1 per cent in morning trading. Those carriers have the most international service of the U.S. airlines and stand to benefit from the resumption of US-bound travel," reported CNBC.
The ban, put in place by former US President Donald Trump in early 2020 and expanded by President Joe Biden early this year, prohibited visitors from 33 countries, including Britain, much of Europe, China, Brazil and South Africa.
Now, visitors can fly into the United States with proof of full COVID-19 vaccination. Documentation can be shown as a paper certificate, a photo of the document or a digitized version. There are exemptions for travellers under age 18 and passengers from countries with low vaccination availability.
Accepted vaccines are those approved or authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and those listed for use by the World Health Organization: Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
The United States will also require proof of a negative Covid-19 test from within the past three days for all vaccinated travellers. The country has required that since January for all arrivals, including US citizens. If a traveller is not vaccinated, the Covid-19 test must have been taken from within one day of departure.
The fest was organised at one of the centrally located Platz in Cologne, Neumarkt which saw footfall from tourists as well who were drawn in huge numbers to the Indian music and food stalls.
A US-based software engineer from Hyderabad was killed after a four-wheeled All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) he was riding overturned at a resort in Telangana's Vikarabad district, police said on Wednesday.
An Indian-origin man has been charged with killing his wife, her parents and her aunt in a shooting rampage that had created fears of anti-Sikh violence in the US state of Ohio.
West Midlands Police said a 38-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman were arrested in Birmingham on Wednesday in connection with an ongoing investigation by dating back to September last year.
A 37-year-old Indian-origin truck driver has been arrested in the US on charges of murdering his wife and three other relatives in April this year, authorities have said.
