What are the new requirements to travel as a tourist to the US from November 8?

The United States authorities announced the reopening of its land border for non-essential travel starting in November after more than a year of closure due to the coronavirus. If you plan to travel to that country as a tourist, this is what you should know

If you had to postpone your vacation in the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic , this information interests you. On Tuesday, October 12, the US Department of Homeland Security confirmed through a statement that, as of November, the land borders with Mexico and Canada will be reopened to people vaccinated against Covid-19 for non-travel. essential. Therefore, tourism between the aforementioned countries is expected to recover little by little, especially in border cities.

What are the requirements that I must meet to travel as a tourist to the United States?

The Secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, assured in the statement that this opening to travelers only applies to people who already have a complete vaccination scheme against the coronavirus.

Likewise, last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (CDC for its acronym in English) specified that the northern country would only consider valid those vaccines approved by its local health authorities and by the World Organization of the Health ( WHO ).

With what vaccines will I be able to enter the United States?

Currently, the WHO has approved the emergency use of six vaccines: Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna, Sinovac, Sinopharm and some versions of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca . In addition, in the United States the biological Janssen developed by Johnson & Johnson is also applied .

In the case of Mexico , several of these vaccines are approved for use and have been applied to the population in recent months, such as Pfizer / BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Sinovac, and also the special case of the Janssen vaccine, that was applied in a massive way in the northern border area with the United States .

If you already have the complete schedule for any of these vaccines , you should have no problem visiting the United States .

And what if they gave you the Sputnik V vaccine?

The Russian Sputnik V vaccine is currently in the pipeline for WHO approval . According to Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist of this body, approval of the biological created by the Gamaleya laboratory could come by the end of the year after a few bureaucratic setbacks.

On the other hand, the Chinese CanSino vaccine is also awaiting WHO approval, but details of this process have not been revealed and it is not known if it will arrive soon.

This means that, if you had to be vaccinated with one of the two previous biologics, you will have to wait a little longer to pack your travel bags to the United States.

It should be noted that this new measure applies to all travelers who wish to enter the United States , either by plane (they must also present a negative Covid-19 test, either PCR or antigen), by land or by ferry, that is, aboard vessels through seaports. This will also end vaccine tourism in cities like New York.

These days the situation will be defined for the majority of minors who have not been vaccinated.

Options to enter the United States by land

If you are in Mexico or Canada, now that it is an option to enter the United States through highways and ports, you will probably want to review your best border crossing options for your next winter vacation.

The best known and most efficient crossings are in Tijuana, Baja California, due to its proximity to San Diego, California.

Finally, we share that Aeroméxico currently offers, in a single purchase, the flight to Tijuana and a pass through the Cross Border Xpress (CBX), an exclusive pedestrian bridge with a service terminal in San Diego. An efficient and fast option to travel without having to go through the counters at the border crossing.

Another option is to cross through the well-known checkpoints of San Ysidro and Mesa de Otay.

So far, the United States has not given an exact date for the reopening of its border, more information is expected in the coming days.