The U.S. will open its land borders to fully vaccinated nonessential travelers in early November, at the same time it beings allowing fully vaccinated and COVID-free foreign nationals to arrive by air, senior Biden administration officials said Tuesday night. The policy shift, following 19 months of closed borders with Mexico and Canada, will be formally announced Wednesday. Unlike air travelers, those arriving by automobile, rail, or ferry will not need a negative COVID-19 test, and proof of inclusion with any vaccine approved by the World Health Organization will be accepted.
While nonessential travel has been restricted from Mexico and Canada since the COVID-19 pandemic began, essential travel, notably trade, has been allowed. Truck drivers and other travelers deemed essential will have until mid-January to be fully vaccinated. Canada has already started allowing in fully vaccinated visitors from the U.S., with a negative test conducted within 72 hours of entry, and Mexico has been restriction-free all pandemic. Both countries have been pressuring the U.S. to open its borders.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - March 8, 2025Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - trade wars, healthcare costs, and more
-
Marbled tea eggs recipeThe Week Recommends With a beautiful exterior, these eggs are also marked by their soft yolk
-
The Washington Post: kowtowing to Trump?Talking Point The newspaper's opinion editor has handed in his notice following edict from Jeff Bezos
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozensSpeed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass
-
Ozempic can curb alcohol cravings, study findsSpeed read Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may also be helpful in limiting alcohol consumption
-
New form of H5N1 bird flu found in US dairy cowsSpeed Read This new form of bird flu is different from the version that spread through herds in the last year
-
Microplastics accumulating in human brains, study findsSpeed Read The amount of tiny plastic particles found in human brains increased dramatically from 2016 to 2024
-
FDA approves painkiller said to thwart addictionSpeed Read Suzetrigine, being sold as Journavx, is the first new pharmaceutical pain treatment approved by the FDA in 20 years
-
Study finds possible alternative abortion pillSpeed Read An emergency contraception (morning-after) pill called Ella could be an alternative to mifepristone for abortions
-
HMPV is spreading in China but there's no need to worryThe Explainer Respiratory illness is common in winter
