The United States government has announced that it is ending its COVID-19 vaccine requirements for international travellers, effective today, May 11. This comes as the COVID-19 public health emergency in the nation also comes to an end on Thursday.
US President Joe Biden's administration had initially implemented vaccination requirements for federal employees, contractors and international air travellers in a bid to promote the health and safety of individuals and the efficiency of workplaces.
The Biden-Harris Administration announced on May 2 that the requirements will end on May 11, the same day that the COVID-19 public health emergency ends. Further details related to ending these requirements will soon be provided.
The announcement followed a successful vaccination campaign that saw almost 270 million Americans receive at least one dose of the
COVID-19 vaccine.
The vaccination requirements helped ensure the safety of workers in critical workforces, such as healthcare and education, and protected the populations they serve, enabling them to provide services without disruptions to operations.
The Federal government implemented requirements for its workforce in a way that increased vaccination to achieve 98 percent compliance, reflecting employees who had received at least one dose of a vaccine or had a pending or approved exception or extension request filed by January 2022.
The administration also put in place vaccination requirements for certain international travellers to slow the spread of new variants entering the country and to allow the healthcare system time to manage access to care if faced with an increase in cases and hospitalizations.
The announcement stated that vaccination remains one of the most important tools in advancing the health and safety of employees and promoting the efficiency of workplaces, but the decision to end the vaccination requirements for certain groups was made as the country is now in a different phase of its response, and the measures are no longer necessary.
The announcement also included HHS and DHS's decision to start the process to end their vaccination requirements for Head Start educators, CMS-certified healthcare facilities, and certain noncitizens at the land border. The administration will provide further details in the coming days related to ending these requirements.
As of May 2, over 147 million people in the United States have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
First Published: May 2, 2023 10:47 AM IST
