International travelers will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination after May 11
WASHINGTON—International travelers entering the United States will no longer be required to show proof of vaccination for Covid-19 after May 11, when the White House also ends the public health emergency for the disease that killed more than a million people in the country. The termination of the jab requirement extends to federal employees and federal contractors, the White House said in a statement.
United States will end its Covid-19 vaccination requirements for international travelers and federal workers on May 11, the White House said on Monday.
“Today, we are announcing that the administration will end the Covid-19 vaccine requirements for federal employees, federal contractors, and international air travelers at the end of the day on May 11, the same day that the Covid-19 public health emergency ends,” a statement said.
More than a million people died from Covid-19 in the United States. However, the White House noted that the pandemic had been all but stopped, leading to the government lifting restrictions dating back from when the disease was ravaging entire communities and forcing crippling economic shutdowns.
“Since January 2021, Covid-19 deaths have declined by 95 percent and hospitalizations are down nearly 91 percent. Globally, Covid-19 deaths are at their lowest levels since the start of the pandemic,” the statement said.
According to the White House, “vaccine requirements bolstered vaccination across the nation, and our broader vaccination campaign has saved millions of lives.”
Backlash
While demanding proof of a Covid vaccination for foreigners boarding US-bound flights mirrored the practice of many countries, the domestic government vaccination mandates sparked sometimes fierce political backlash at home.
In addition to ending the vaccine rules, President Joe Biden announced in April he was officially calling an end to the national health emergency that for more than three years had underpinned a series of extraordinary government measures.
These included lavish funding for free Covid testing and vaccinations across the country.
In February, the US House of Representatives voted to lift the requirement that most foreign air travelers be vaccinated against Covid-19, one of the few remaining pandemic travel restrictions still in place.
The Biden administration last June dropped its requirement that people arriving in the United States by air must test negative for Covid but kept in place Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination requirements for most foreign travelers.
Djokovic experience
The rules barred Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic from taking part in some US tournaments because he is not vaccinated against Covid-19, but from May 12 he could freely enter and play in major American tournaments like the US Open.
The Homeland Security Department also said on Monday that starting May 12 it would no longer require non-US travelers entering the United States via land ports of entry and ferries to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and provide proof of vaccination upon request.
The Biden administration required in September 2021 about 3.5 million federal employees and contractors to be vaccinated or face firing or disciplinary action, but the government has not enforced the rule for over a year after a series of court rulings.
A federal appeals court in March upheld a decision blocking enforcement of the employee vaccine requirement.
The White House told federal agencies in October 2022 not to enforce the contractor vaccine requirements even after a nationwide injunction was lifted.
The Health and Human Services Department said it would start the process to end vaccination requirements for Head Start educators and government-certified healthcare facilities.
