“Beginning in early November, all adult foreign nationals traveling to the United States by air must demonstrate proof of full vaccination against Covid-19,” the U.S. Consulate in Bermuda said, adding that further information will be provided as it becomes available via the travel.state.gov website.
On September 20th, U.S. Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “In early November, we’ll be putting in place strict protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from passengers flying internationally into the United States by requiring that adult foreign nationals traveling to the United States be fully vaccinated. Obviously, this is the conclusion of a policy process on that particular issue — an important one facing many people around the world.”
“The Biden administration has not yet indicated when in November the new rules will be in place,” the NY Times reported, adding that “the new policy applies to everyone who is not a U.S. citizen.”
The NY Times noted that, as far as on a worldwide level, the new policy will “severely limit who can enter the United States,” as unlike Bermuda — where all adults have access and the option to get the vaccine — many other people around the world do not.
Some low income nations have extremely limited access to the vaccine, with Our World In Data noting that as of now, “only 2.2% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.”
We asked the U.S. Consulate in Bermuda for comment, and a spokesperson told Bernews, “As announced by the White House on September 20, beginning in early November, all adult foreign nationals traveling to the United States by air must demonstrate proof of full vaccination against Covid-19.
“Fully vaccinated aircraft passengers departing from any foreign country with a destination in the United States will continue to be required to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test taken within three days of departure [or written or electronic documentation of recovery from Covid-19 after previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in the form of a positive viral test result and a letter from a licensed health care provider or public health official stating that the passenger has been cleared for travel].
“Further information for visa applicants and U.S. citizen travelers will be provided as it becomes available and will be updated on: travel.state.gov. We have no further details to announce at this time,” the Consulate added.
As everyone knows, many Bermudians frequently travel to the United States for various reasons, including vacation, business, shopping, medical treatment, education, to compete in sports events and more, with the United States also used as a transit point for many locals, as we have to fly through to their gateway cities get to other nations such as those in the Caribbean.
As the world continues to grapple with the pandemic, other nations are also formulating their travel policies, with the Canadian Government recently announcing that “the Government of Canada will allow fully vaccinated foreign nationals meeting the conditions to enter Canada for discretionary [non-essential] purposes starting on September 7, 2021.”
As of the most recent vaccination statistics, 66.2% of Bermuda’s population has received two doses of the vaccine.
