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The U.S. has said it will reopen its land border with Mexico and Canada for fully vaccinated travelers by November.
It means that those sealed from the US due to the pandemic may come – for some reason – with land and ferry crossing points.
Unvaccinated travelers will still be banned from entering the U.S. from Mexico and Canada by land. Aviation is allowed with a negative covid test.
The United States has been restricting travel from Mexico to Canada since March 2020.
“We are pleased to take steps to make regular travel a safe and sustainable journey,” said Home Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in a statement.
Currently, most non-US citizens who have been to the UK, China, India, South Africa, Iran, Brazil and a number of European countries in the last 14 days are not allowed in the US.
Major travelers, including students, truck drivers, U.S. citizens and health care providers have never been banned from crossing national borders. As of January 2022, they must also show proof of vaccination to enter the United States from Mexico or Canada.
“This approach provides enough time for significant travelers … to be vaccinated,” said the Department of Homeland Security.
An exact date in November has not yet been announced, but will be “very soon”, an official told Reuters.
Canada opened its border to fully vaccinated travelers from the United States on 9 August. The Mexican border was opened during the entire pandemic.
A controversial law that allows the U.S. to expel undocumented migrants quickly to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and attitude facilities remains in place, US media reports. Border legislation, known as Title 42, has cut off access to asylum for hundreds of thousands of migrants trying to enter Mexico.