Canada reopened its border to fully-vaccinated Americans this week, but it may take a long time for that unilateral initiative to be returned, according to new reports.
As Open Jaw reported last week, unnamed American government sources said the U.S. was inching towards reversing border policies that keep travellers from most countries out, and land borders with Canada and Mexico closed. (Air travel to the U.S. from Canada has not been restricted.)
Phased Approach
As part of this process, sources indicated the White House was contemplating a requirement for arrivals to be fully vaccinated, which other countries, including Canada, are also implementing.
The sources indicated the U.S. government was in discussions with airlines and other stakeholders on a phased reopening to vaccinated travellers, and was working out details like proof of vaccination and - crucially for Canadians - whether and how to accept vaccines not yet authorized by American health officials, like AstraZeneca.
Bumps in the Road
But it appears there may be more challenges impeding a border re-opening.
New reports this week say that, given rising rates of infections sweeping across the U.S., “the White House indicates it will take a cautious approach. The unnamed official suggests any changes may be months rather than weeks away.”
That seems to be supported by White House press secretary Jen Psaki, when she said on the record, “Given where we are today with the Delta variant, we will maintain existing travel restrictions at this point.”
Under Pressure
The Biden White House is under pressure to permit travel into the U.S to resume.
Canada’s government has refused to criticize the U.S. stance on its closed land border with Canada, even as a flood of Americans has poured into Canada after restrictions on this side of the border were relaxed this week.
Other countries have not held back. Both the U.K. and the EU have already opened their doors to fully-vaccinated American travellers, and reports say EU officials are critical of the lack of reciprocity by the U.S., calling it a “huge disappointment.”
American travel and business leaders are keeping up the pressure too.
Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian has criticized the White House for dragging its feet in re-opening borders to vaccinated travelers, especially those from the United Kingdom and Europe.
“The international markets where US vaccinated travelers can go, particularly in southern Europe, we’ve had a really strong booking interest,” Mr Bastian told The Financial Times. “The problem is those markets are only one-way.”
And the U.S. Travel Association opposes any blanket requirement for international arrivals to be vaccinated, calling it a "step back" in restarting the travel industry.
It insists that countries not currently banned by the American government should be exempt from any new vaccination requirements.
At the same time, when it comes to countries that are currently banned, including the U.K., the EU - and Canada - the USTA's VP of public affairs and policy, Tori Emerson Barnes, said the reported plan to reopen to vaccinated travellers was an "important first step" to restoring travel.
"We urge the administration to advance this plan for (banned) countries and set a reopening date as quickly as possible, especially as the U.K., much of the E.U. and Canada have all taken recent similar steps to reopen their borders to vaccinated travelers and rebuild their economies," she said.
So when people in politics and travel media were saying the US had a plan and were open months ago that was a fib?