The United States could soon replace its travel bans by a new type of entry requirement.USA could eliminate travel bans and add vaccination requirementsAlthough no official announcement has been made by the White Official, Reuters reports that a White Official stated that the Biden administration is working on a plan to require almost all foreign visitors to the United States be vaccinated against COVID-19. This would not apply to citizens or residents of the United States, but only to visitors.The White House stated that it is open to reopening travel but not willing to lift restrictions immediately due to rising case numbers, and the delta variant.Agents are currently working on a system to reopen travel. This includes a gradual approach that will eventually require that all foreign nationals (from all countries), traveling to the United States need to be fully immunized.This would be part a plan to eventually lift travel restrictions against many countries, including South Africa, Brazil, India, China, India and the Schengen Zone.There are many questions that remain unanswered at this point.What vaccines are eligible for entry to the United States?Is pre-travel testing still required for returning to the United States?Are unvaccinated children allowed to travel with vaccinated adults to the United States? If so, what testing would they need?According to some, vaccination could become a requirement over time. So could we see borders opening on a wider basis and then this requirement later?Foreign visitors may need to be vaccinated in the United States.This is my take on the potential vaccine requirementThe current US entry restrictions are absurd and do not follow science. Instead, they are based upon identifying areas that have had a severe outbreak. However, the bans are never reexamined.This new policy, which is based on science, would be a significant improvement in that regard. It is believed that vaccinations reduce the risk of death and hospitalizations, as well as reducing your chance of contracting coronavirus. It is much more sensible to urge people to get vaccinated than to ban everyone based on their origin.It is interesting to note that this is the first time the Biden administration has made concrete policies based upon vaccination status. New York announced that it will require all residents to have their vaccinations in order to be allowed to eat indoors and go to the gym. However, federal officials have not yet made any suggestion that there could be restrictions on the basis of vaccination status. (Obviously there may be legal issues). The first place where vaccination may become a federal requirement is when we enter the country.The main concern I have with this new system is the time it will take. This seems to be no exception. Nothing is ever done quickly. I hope that the government will make it clear that they want visitors to get vaccinated as a long-term goal. Perhaps we can see some restrictions being lifted in the interim.Finally, we could see the current travel bans liftedBottom lineBiden's administration is said to be considering replacing travel bans with the requirement that foreign visitors are vaccinated. In terms of minimizing travel risk, this seems like an improvement.What do you think of the United States requiring travelers to get vaccinated?
