Fully vaccinated international travelers will be permitted to enter the US starting Nov. 8, White House officials said Friday.
The announcement marks a major turning point in the pandemic, particularly for those with loved ones in other countries who now may be able to reunite in time for the holiday season.
Travelers will be required to show proof of vaccination, and additional guidance will be made public soon. Limited exceptions, which have not yet been specified, will be made for some unvaccinated individuals.
Accepted vaccines will include any that are currently approved for use in the US, as well as those authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization, which are more widely used in other countries. This does not yet include Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, which the WHO is still reviewing, or India’s Bharat Biotech.
Additionally, travelers will be still be required to show a negative taken within three days of their travel to the US.
Last month, the Biden administration announced that travel restrictions would be lifted for fully vaccinated people starting in early November but did not specify the date until Friday.
"This individual-based approach rather than country-based one is the right system," White House pandemic czar Jeff Zients said in September. "International travel is critical to connecting families and friends, to fueling small and large businesses, to promoting the open exchange ideas of culture."