U.S. Travel Association VP of Communications Tori Emerson Barnes this week urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to “immediately” stop mandatory vaccination for entry of tourists from other countries.
“Ottawa has done the right thing by removing vaccination and testing requirements for entry into Canada. This will give a significant boost to its economy,” — says Barnes. “Washington should follow suit by immediately refusing to check vaccination status for tourists from other countries, given the wide access to effective COVID control and treatment methods in most regions of the planet.”
Although Canada has been criticized for ditching strict travel rules in the pandemic era, its government plans to lift all of its COVID-19 restrictions from October 1st. No more paperwork to fill out for coronavirus.
Washington remains committed to its current strict regulations on vaccination passports for all foreigners.
There are only a few minor exceptions, including for children under the age of 18, as well as for diplomats and certain categories of visa holders. Most travelers who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 are still banned from entering the United States.
Note that Washington considers fully vaccinated those who received a second dose of the vaccine at least two weeks ago. So no booster injections to speak of.
The CDC has not changed its pandemic travel policy since June, when it removed the requirement for pre-flight testing before flying to the US.