COVID-19 vaccination card issued by the Centers for Disease Control
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U.S. airlines and more than two dozen other industry groups on Monday called on the Biden government on Monday to formulate a plan to lift international travel restrictions, including digital passport standards, following the destruction of border travel in the Covid pandemic.
Airlines for America, representing major U.S. airlines such as American, United, Southwest and others, sent a message letter to Jeffrey Zients, the White House Covid-19 Response Team Coordinator, and said the guidelines should exempt vaccines from international test rules.
Among other recommendations, the groups called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its guidance to say that vaccinated people can travel safely, according to a copy of the letter seen by CNBC.
“To be clear, at present we do not support the removal or alleviation of nuclear protections for public health, such as the universal mask mandate, incoming international testing requirement, physical distance or other measures that have made travel safer and reduced the transmission of the virus. ., ”Reads the letter, which was also signed by the US Chamber of Commerce, the largest trade union and other industry groups.” The data and science show, however, that the right public health measures have now been put in place to effectively reduce risk and restrict access. safely remove. “
Most non-US citizens who have recently been to Europe, the UK and Brazil have been banned from entering the US since last March, when then-President Donald Trump introduced the rules when Covid-19 spread around the world. In January, President Joe Biden expanded access restrictions and added South Africa to the list due to an increase in infections and new, more contagious variants
The group also called on the White House to set standards for digital health documents that immigration officials can prove against vaccinations or test results.
In the meantime, airlines and officials have been exploring ways to use digital vaccine or health passport ports to promote travel and eventually replace travel restrictions. The European Union last week proposed a digital health certificate with a QR code containing the vaccine and Covid-19 test results.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told NBC Nightly News last week that he expects digital vaccine passports to be needed for international travel.
The White House declined to comment, citing a travel recommendation that Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, gave Monday.
“This is not the time to travel,” she told a news conference.
“We are not only worried about what happens when you are on the plane itself, but also what happens when people travel, that is: they go out, they mix, they mix with people who have not been vaccinated,” she said. said.