The US Declares Reopening of Border to UK Travellers

Restrictions enforced two years back when the pandemic hit in early 2020 for the UK passengers travelling to the US were lifted on 8th Monday. The rival airlines British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have operated a synchronised departure from Heathrow to JFK in New York on Monday morning celebrating the end of the US travel ban. 

However, to be able to get access to the US, travellers must be fully vaccinated with a proof of a negative Covid – 19 test result three days prior entering the country. 

Sean Doy, British Airways chief executive said the reopening of the US borders was a “moment to celebrate” after “more than 600 days of separation”. He went on adding: “Transatlantic connectivity is vital for the UK’s economic recovery, which is why we’ve been calling for the safe reopening of the UK-US travel corridor for such a long time.”

His counterpart at Virgin Atlantic, Shai Weiss, said: “The US has been our heartland for more than 37 years and we are simply not Virgin without the Atlantic.’’ He also said: “We’ve been steadily ramping up flying to destinations including Boston, New York, Orlando, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and we can’t wait to fly our customers safely to their favourite US cities to reconnect with loved ones and colleagues.”

Entry Requirements

Passengers must be fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine approved for emergency use by the World Health Organisation or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The accepted vaccines to enter the United States include: AstraZeneca, BIBP/Sinopharm, Covishield, Janssen, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac.

People who received a full series of a vaccine – not a placebo – during trials for AstraZeneca or Novavax are also considered vaccinated. The US will also accept the NHS COVID-19 pass as sufficient proof.

After entering the US

Those who are fully jabbed do not have to be quarantined, but they are recommended to take a test within the first three to five days upon arrival unless they have documentation showing they have recovered from the virus within the past three months. Children are also exempt from quarantine but must take a test within three to five days.

For those who are unvaccinated, they will have to take a Covid – 19 test three to five days and later go through five days of self-quarantine after arrival.