After more than 18 months of closing the borders, the United States will reopen Nov. 8 to the millions of travelers who were unable to enter the country due to the epidemic.

The Joe Biden administration said that "a new US travel policy that requires the vaccination of foreign travelers entering the United States will enter into force on November 8."

This new measure will apply to travelers arriving by air and those crossing the land borders with Canada and Mexico.

In the face of the epidemic, the United States closed its borders as of March 2020, except for exceptional cases, to millions. 

Land entry points have also been closed to visitors from Canada and Mexico.

This caused painful personal situations and economic damage.

The prolonged restrictions have caused diplomatic tension, especially since last summer, when the European Union, which was witnessing an acceleration in vaccination operations, opened its borders to the United States and American tourists, even those who were not vaccinated.

Washington has always referred to health conditions to justify maintaining the closure.

The announcement coincided with great tension between France and the United States over the issue of the sale of submarines to Australia.

- Six acceptable vaccines -

The technical and practical details of lifting the restrictions are not yet known, but Washington has already outlined the outlines.

For travelers arriving by air, starting Nov. 8, the United States will require that in addition to proof of vaccination and a PCRC test three days before departure, airlines will require that airlines establish a contact tracing system.

As for those arriving by land, the White House announced this week that the lifting of restrictions will take place in two stages.

From November 8, people coming for reasons deemed not essential will be able to cross the borders of Canada or Mexico, provided they receive the vaccine. People arriving for reasons deemed necessary, such as truck drivers, are exempted from having to be vaccinated. 

But from January, the mandatory vaccination will apply to all visitors crossing the land border, regardless of their reason for entry.

On the other hand, the US health authorities indicated that all vaccines approved by the World Health Organization will be accepted.

So far, according to the emergency procedure established by the World Health Organization, it is AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer / Piontech, Sinopharma and Sinovac.

The United States, which has been very strict in closing its borders, did not impose mandatory vaccinations on passengers on domestic flights.

Even the Biden administration, which recently acquiesced in some binding measures, has not made changes due to the political sensitivity of the issue.