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U.S. to reopen borders to COVID-19-vaccinated foreign travelers next month

Vehicles queue at the border, waiting to enter the United States at the Peace Bridge to New York state. File Photo by Gary Wiepert/UPI
1 of 5 | Vehicles queue at the border, waiting to enter the United States at the Peace Bridge to New York state. File Photo by Gary Wiepert/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Nineteen months after it first began barring U.S. entry to foreign nationals to stem COVID-19 transmission, the federal government will reopen American borders next month to vaccinated travelers via air and land.

Assistant White House press officer Kevin Munoz said Friday that the restrictions will be lifted in a little more than three weeks.

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"The U.S.' new travel policy that requires vaccination for foreign national travelers to the United States will begin on Nov. 8," he said in a tweet.

"This announcement and date applies to both international air travel and land travel. This policy is guided by public health."

The easing of those measures will allow international air travelers to enter the United States, as well as travelers from Canada and Mexico -- as long as they are all fully vaccinated.

It wasn't made clear, however, how the new policy will apply to people who have received a combination of the available vaccines.

Officials said last month that they would lift the restrictions sometime in November. At the time, they said that travelers would need to show proof of vaccination and a recent negative COVID-19 test.

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The new policy will replace various restrictions that have been in effect since early last year that barred U.S. entry to foreign travelers if they'd spent any of the previous 14 days in several countries.

In addition to Canada, the new policy will also allow U.S. entry for travelers from Britain, the European Union and other nations.

Canada reopened its border to vaccinated U.S. travelers in August, but American officials extended the U.S. border closure for Canadians twice more before announcing the expiration on Friday.

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