For months, there have been rumors that the American entry ban for travelers from Europe could soon come to an end. In retrospect, these all turned out to be false reports.
November 8, 2021, has been confirmed as the opening date.
Now, we finally got the long-awaited news: The travel ban, introduced by Donald Trump and extended by President Biden, will officially end in November 2021. Fully vaccinated Europeans will then be able to travel to the USA again. A negative corona test is still required.
Exact Rules Still Unknown
After the Financial Times (paywall) reported the breaking news, the White House officially confirmed the news to CNN (and other media outlets). The European Ambassador to the USA also confirmed the news on Twitter.
Jeff Zients, advisor to the Covid-19 team at the White House, says:
Beginning in early November, foreign nationals flying to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated — fully vaccinated and they must show proof of vaccination prior to boarding a US-bound airplane
CNN
Many details remain unclear and are expected later in the day:
- When exactly will the ban be lifted?
- Which vaccines are recognized?
- Is an antigen test still sufficient for entry?
- What about children?
The American Travel Ban Since March 2020
Strictly speaking, the current travel ban is not directed against all of Europe. Entry is only prohibited to people who have been in the Schengen area, Great Britain, Ireland, Brazil, or South Africa within the last 14 days.
That is one of the reasons why the entry ban has been criticized several times. Anyone who has stayed in Mexico, Turkey, Croatia, or other countries for at least 14 days, for example, is also allowed to travel to the USA.
The travel ban thus reduces the travel volume as planned. At the same time, however, it ensures that those wishing to travel first go to a country with a much higher risk of infection and thus potentially bring the virus to the USA (despite a negative antigen test). However, Biden always insisted that the government was merely following the advice of scientists.
Conclusion
Finally! After every bit of hope had been shattered so far, the American entry ban has officially come to an end. Canada has also reopened so that a road trip through America is at best hampered by the high rental car prices.
If you’re planning to travel to the USA, you might be well advised to book as soon as possible, because currently there are still deals at reasonable prices:
