Simon Coveney has welcomed the US administration’s decision to lift the 18-month blanket ban on foreign travellers from entering the country.
The Foreign Affairs Minister said on Monday that he welcomed the announcement that the ban on foreign travellers entering the country, introduced by former president Donald Trump at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, will be removed in November.
Irish travellers will be able to visit the US from November if they are fully vaccinated.
“This is something that we, along with our EU colleagues, have been advocating for a considerable time and we have alerted the US Administration to the high levels of vaccination within Ireland,” Mr Coveney said.
“Ensuring ease of travel is vital for protecting our strong connections across the Atlantic, be that in business, academia, tourism or family connections.”
“With 90 per cent of Irish adults now fully vaccinated, I know this will come as very good news for many in Ireland, the Irish living in the United States, as well as our American friends with links to Ireland and the rest of Europe.”
On Monday evening, Ireland’s Ambassador to the US, Daniel Mulhall, called it a “positive development”.
Yes, this very positive development will bring welcome relief to so many Irish people who have been separated from family for the past 18 months because of the #travelban. https://t.co/jNqdlA1r0u
— Daniel Mulhall (@DanMulhall) September 20, 2021
Advertisement
White House Covid-19 co-ordinator Jeff Zients, who announced the end of the travel ban, said all foreign visitors will need to demonstrate proof of vaccination as well as proof of a negative test taken with the previous three days.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recognises people who have received the Pfizer, Moderna or Janssen from Johnson & Johnson jab as fully vaccinated, but travellers who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine will also be able to enter because the US acknowledges its approval by the World Health Organisation.
Airlines will be required to collect contact information from international travellers so that they can be traced if required.
