Yahoo Finance Fully vaccinated travellers could soon be allowed into US
The United States is working on plans to reopen to visitors from abroad, a White House official has said.
Travel from Britain, the European Union, China and Iran has been restricted for more than a year due to Covid-19, with countries such as Brazil and India later included.
President Joe Biden’s administration wants to welcome fully vaccinated visitors once again in a “safe and sustainable manner” the source said.
A timeframe is yet to be confirmed.
It marks a significant shift in policy after the US said as recently as July 26 that it would keep restrictions on international arrivals.
Fully vaccinated travellers from the US and EU can now enjoy quarantine-free travel into the UK after restrictions were lifted on Monday.
The US reported more than 100,000 new Covid infections on Wednesday, a six month high.
The spread of the Delta variant has sparked a surge in cases in areas where levels of vaccination are low.
Former president Barack Obama was forced to scale down his 60th birthday party due to the rise in infections.
More than 94,819 cases were reported on a seven-day average, a five-fold increase in less than a month, data through Wednesday showed.
The seven-day average provides the most accurate picture of how fast cases are rising since some states only report infections once or twice a week.
In the coming weeks, cases could double to 200,000 per day, according to top US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci.
The Delta variant, first detected in India, accounts for 83 per cent of all new cases reported in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vaccination rates vary widely from a high of 76 per cent of Vermont residents receiving a first dose to a low of 40 per cent in Mississippi, with polls showing Republicans are far less likely than Democrats to get vaccinated.
Unvaccinated people represent nearly 97 per cent of severe cases, according to the White House Covid-19 Response Team.
Deaths jumped 33 per cent over the past week, with about 377 deaths per day on average.
Hospitals in Florida and Louisiana are seeing record numbers of Covid patients occupying beds.
To try to halt the spread of the virus, New York City will require proof of vaccination at restaurants, gyms and other businesses.
Roughly 60 per cent of all New Yorkers have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. But certain areas, largely poor communities and communities of colour, have much lower vaccination rates.
Some private companies are also mandating vaccines for employees and customers.
The US Food and Drug Administration plans to give full approval for the Pfizer Covid jab by early September, which could boost confidence and vaccine take-up.
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