BREAKING: US annouces 8 November 2021 for land and international borders to reopen

US announces 8 November for international borders to open

After an expected press conference didn’t happen earlier in the week speculation is growing in the press that it could be today that President Biden makes his announcement for the opening of the US to the rest of the world.

According to Bloomberg, a very reliable source:

Exclusive: U.S. Will lift travel restrictions on international air land border crossings for fully vaccinated travelers effective Nov. 8 -white house official

We don’t know any more information yet, but check back as I will update when I hear more. I expect to get an official announcement with more detail today. 

Here’s what we know so far:

• You must be fully vaccinated
• All UK administered vaccines will be acceptable – even the Indian made AZ
• You will be required to take a test 72 hours before – it’s assumed to be the same tests as now but it’s not known exactly
• There will be some form of contact tracing including sharing your telephone number and email address
• The full details of rules for children who are not vaccinated have not been revealed

UPDATE: This has now been confirmed by Reuters as well and a statement is expected later today. The White House Assistant Press Secretary Kevin Munoz, has also confirmed the story on Twitter. 

Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, commented;

“The US Government’s confirmation that fully vaccinated UK visitors will be able to enter the US from 8 November is welcome news and finally allows consumers and businesses to book travel with confidence.  The US has been our heartland for more than 37 years and we are simply not Virgin without the Atlantic.  We’ve been steadily ramping up flying to destinations such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and we can’t wait to fly our customers safely to their favourite US cities, on holiday or to reconnect with friends, loved ones and colleagues.

“As the UK forges its recovery from the pandemic, the reopening of the transatlantic corridor and the lifting of Presidential Order 212F acknowledges the great progress both nations have made in rolling out successful vaccine programmes. The UK will now be able to strengthen ties with our most important economic partner, the US, boosting trade and tourism as well as reuniting friends, families and business colleagues. We are thankful to Prime Minister Johnson and the UK Government, the Biden administration and our industry partners for their support in removing these barriers and allowing free travel between our countries to resume.”