Twenty-four trade organizations, including the U.S. Travel Association of which Disney is a part, are urging the federal government to lift international travel restrictions in a new policy framework.
“A Framework to Safely Lift Entry Restrictions and Restart International Travel” includes the following guiding principles for welcoming back international visitors while keeping health and safety the top priority:
- Reserve entry restrictions for only the highest-risk countries.
- Replace all other blanket travel restrictions with a framework of risk-based entry protocols.
- Ensure the framework is easy to understand, communicate, and implement.
“The travel industry agrees that being guided by the science is absolutely the correct approach, and the science has been telling us for some time that it’s possible to begin to safely reopen international travel,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. “Our document continues to prioritize safety while providing a roadmap for solving for the billions of dollars in economic damage resulting from the continued restrictions on crossing our borders, in particular from allied countries with similar vaccination rates. We have the knowledge and the tools we need to restart international travel safely, and it is past time that we use them.”
“U.S. airlines have been—and continue to be—strong advocates for a risk-based, data-driven approach to safely resuming international travel as laid out in the blueprint,” said Airlines for America President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. “We have leaned into science throughout this crisis, and research has consistently determined the risk of transmission onboard aircraft is very low. In fact, the Harvard Aviation Public Health Initiative concluded that being on an airplane is as safe if not safer than routine activities such as eating in a restaurant or going to the grocery store. The science is clear—it is time, if not past the time, for the U.S. Government to take action and reopen travel between the U.S. and low-risk countries.”
The U.S. economy loses $1.5 billion each week travel restrictions remain in place, enough money to support 10,000 American jobs.
The short-term opportunities listed in the framework are:
- Quickly lift entry restrictions and reopen travel between the U.S. and the United Kingdom (UK).
- Quickly allow fully vaccinated individuals from non-high-risk countries to enter the U.S.
- Ease entry restrictions by July 15, 2021, when the U.S. is forecast to achieve widespread immunity and sustained declines in infections and hospitalizations.
For more information, the framework is available here.
The UK now had 90% Delta variant causing a spike in unvaccinated. The US is also spiking Delta. Too early for full opening to international guests!
I’d suggest you worry more about the Floridians that don’t want the vaccine compared the 70% vaccinated British coming to Florida! We are better vaccinated than you are! Plus I’m pretty sure the delta variant is ripping through America right now? Honestly some Americans have no real clue about what is going on in the crest of the world 🙄
Yea especially since the more times the virus changes hands the more likely a new strain will emerge
Absolutely proving my point! Zero common sense. Dear me how can it change hands if the people coming into the us are fully vaccinated? Jesus some people 🤦🏽♀️
So what happens when the next variant comes along Cindy? Shall we never open again? Covid unfortunately isn’t going away. We now have a chance to get vaccinated or not. That’s your decision and the only way from a medical perspective to protect yourself. Fully vaccinated people pose extremely low risks.
I’m going to guess that the companies & groups who are pushing so hard to re-open aren’t also going to be “following the science” if the delta variant causes a dangerous surge in Covid cases in Florida. With the state no longer reporting cases, it seems like poor timing.
If you are vaccinated surely you have nothing to worry about? As someone British coming to Disney world in September I am fully vaxed up with Pfizer ready to go? What risk do I post you? Against the millions of Americans that don’t want the vaccine? I suggest if your still worried after being vaccinated, you join Biden and convince the vaccine haters in the us to have the vaccine.
I’m not worried for myself (I’m fully vaccinated with Moderna) — and didn’t say I was. I’m worried for the Floridians who’ve been told by their governor to not bother getting vaccinated and for all of the other unvaccinated Americans potentially spreading the new variant (which Pfizer isn’t very effective against) to people from other countries.
It was announced yesterday that the Delta variant is already the dominant strain in the US unfortunately.
Lol Canada for sure won’t
Here’s a message to the Canadian people from Trudeau 🖕
The delta scare is pointless but ok guess whatever excuse he needs to keep the border closed
Yesterday it was announced that the Delta strain is the most dominant strain in the USA. Therefore, the comment about fully vaccinated people from the UK who test negative bringing Delta to Florida is just scaremongering. Unfortunately, the Delta variant is very much already in Florida and therefore further delay is absolutely pointless.