After 20 months, travel has reopened.
The United States of America will begin admitting air travellers from Ireland and several other countries who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 from today.
From Monday, travellers who can show official proof of vaccination and a recent, negative PCR test can fly to the US.
The restrictions were initially introduced by then US President Donald Trump 20 months ago and had banned non-US citizens from entering the US who were in Ireland and other countries over the past 14 days.
Here's what you need to know:
- Foreign air travellers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to fly to the United States. There are some limited exceptions.
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said it will accept U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved or authorised and World Health Organisation (WHO) emergency use listed vaccines.
- As well as being fully vaccinated, all travellers must produce a negative PCR test result within three days prior to travel to the United States
- Unvaccinated US citizens and others getting exemptions must provide a negative test taken within one day before travelling.
- Children under 18 are exempted from the vaccination requirement but children between the ages of 2 and 17 are required to take a pre-departure test.
- If travelling with a fully vaccinated adult, an unvaccinated child can test three days prior to departure. However, if an unvaccinated child is travelling alone or with unvaccinated adults, they will have to test within one day before departure.
- There are no exemptions for vaccine status for religious or moral reasons.
- Exemptions include certain Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial participants, those with valid medical reasons for not getting vaccinated and those who need to travel for emergency or humanitarian reasons.
- Those with these exemptions will need a US government-issued letter affirming the urgent need to travel.
- Travellers will also sign an attestation that they have been vaccinated and are warned that "willfully providing false or misleading information may lead to criminal fines and imprisonment".
Lynne Embleton, CEO of Aer Lingus said: “Today marks a very important moment for Aer Lingus, the travel and tourism sector and the whole Irish economy.
"Aer Lingus will reconnect friends and family, businesses and colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic. After 20 long months, we are re-establishing Dublin Airport as the most efficient connecting hub between the US and Europe.”
Main image via Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie
