U.S. to reopen land borders for vaccinated visitors

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Motorists head to the Ambassador Bridge that connects Canada to the United States between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit. Associated Press/Photo by Mark Spowart/The Canadian Press, file)

U.S. to reopen land borders for vaccinated visitors

Nonessential travel will resume next month at the U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico after a 19-month halt. The United States had limited entry to only those with essential reasons such as trade. The Department of Homeland Security will announce the new rules on Wednesday.

How will it work? Border officials will ask legal foreign travelers seeking entry into the United States by vehicle, ferry, or rail about their vaccination status and may verify the documents at their discretion. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it would accept other vaccines authorized by the World Health Organization. Canada, which began allowing entry to fully vaccinated U.S. travelers in August, widely uses AstraZeneca. Similar restrictions will also begin in November for air travelers, who still have to show a negative COVID-19 test.

Dig deeper: Read Steve West’s report in Liberties on how governors are responding to the latest vaccine mandates.

Onize Ohikere

Onize is WORLD’s Africa reporter and deputy global desk chief. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate and earned a journalism degree from Minnesota State University–Moorhead. Onize resides in Abuja, Nigeria.

@onize_ohiks