US President Joe Biden’s administration has extended a COVID-19 vaccination requirement for non-US residents crossing ferry or land terminals at the United States’s borders with Canada and Mexico.
In a statement released on Thursday, 21 April, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that the extension has been done after consultation with federal health agencies, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, said, “The administration of Biden-Harris is dedicated towards safeguarding public health while promoting lawful trade and travel, which is important to our economic security.”
The provisions do not apply to US residents and citizens, and DHS did not give a timeline for the extension.
The requirements were initially adopted in November last year as the US opened up its land crossings for foreign countries again, which has been closed to most foreign travellers since the outbreak of COVID-19 in March 2020.
These changes do not impact the present requirements that are required for all travellers coming to the US, regardless of citizenship. They need to give a negative antigen test taken no more than a day before the day of leaving.
The extension came days after a federal judge in the US state of Florida knocked down a CDC mandate that required tourists to wear masks on public transport around the country, including trains, aeroplanes and subways.
The US Department of Justice declared on Wednesday, 19 April, that it is intended to appeal the decision after a recommendation from the CDC, which had said that the protocol for travel is still required to protect public health.
Local jurisdictions can still take any decision regarding the mask requirements.
Health officials have said they are near observing an uptick in COVID-19 cases around the US, although they have noted that hospitalisations for the infection remain very low.
